Out of this world

Pic of the week 

During our space-themed Story Pirates camp this week, I turned into an alien.  It wasn't so bad.

What's going on?

Had an unusually busy week this week.  Story Pirates is putting on a virtual summer camp and I was a cabin leader for a couple of groups.  It was a lot of fun!  We made up planets and aliens and designed space ships.  It was good to have something of a schedule for a few days.  

I've been working with a family who used to come to Kidville to teach/interact with their kids for an hour a week and it's been really fun.  We meet in their backyard all masked up and I play a few songs on my ukulele, read some books, and then we do an activity of some kind.   This week our theme was all about food, so I had them taste different things in the four flavors - bitter, sour, sweet, salty - and the overwhelming favorite was sweet.  Though the 4-yr-old girl fully devoured her bitter lemon peel.  We made our own trail mix and then I taught them how to make ice cream in a bag.  It was a hit!  Last week we talked about plants and planted some seeds.  A few of them had sprouted when I came back this week and the kids were so excited.  Now if only the seeds in my planters were as willing to live...

I did a double-feature hike yesterday with two different friends and ended up hiking nearly 11 miles!  It was great.  My weekly hiking excursions are quickly becoming one of my favorite things.  This week's hikes features some steep terrain, a charming creek, the consumption of ~2 litres of water, and a tuna sandwich!  We also passed an abandoned wheel barrow, and a bowling ball.

I was inspired by my reading of "Grit" a couple of weeks ago to start memorizing an inspirational or meaning quote or passage every day.  If you've got any you especially love, send them my way!  I started yesterday with this one which I learned from Brene Brown, and which I will now attempt to type from memory:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly, who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

-Theodore Roosevelt

I double-checked and got it almost word for word - I only missed one - but I had to edit the punctuation because ol' Teddy loved a long and grammatically complex sentence.  

What I'm watching

This is a new Australian dating show on Netflix featuring people on the Autistic spectrum and is honestly just a heart-warming delight. 

What I'm reading

First, watch this video of Representative Ocasio-Cortez deliver what is truly an incredible speech.

Then read this fascinating take on the cultural surroundings of the speech.  We have a long way to go, folks. 

What I'm listening to

Spotify playlists that feature French pop music from the 60s.  Honestly, what a delight.  Thanks to my friend Jon for introducing me.

What I'm puzzling

I'm in love with this artist.  They've made a bunch of puzzles out of his work and I might just have to buy them all.