Sunday, January 26, 2020

Vol. 2 Issue 43

Pic of the week 


It's happening.

What's going on?

Training them new baby Story Pirates, y'all!!!  They're culminating show is TONIGHT and I am stoked.  1 - Because this day is honestly like Christmas for me. It's my favorite night of the year.  2 - Because this time, I was in charge!  Like, I trained the new people (though it might be more accurate to say I oversaw the training of the new people), and put together the set list for their show, and it feels very rewarding!

Also got in some Disney time this week.  I randomly had a day where nothing got scheduled and the crowd trackers said it was supposed to be pretty dead, so I decided to go!  It was a little busier than I was expecting, but still not bad.  I spent too much on merchandise I don't need, ate too many treats, and probably spent too much time on my ankle (more on that in a sec), but it was fun!  A couple of friends came down to meet me and we had a delightful time.

So, I'm training for this half marathon, right?  Turns out something is out of whack with my right leg.  My hamstring feels super tight, and my knee has been bugging me.  I got a miracle of a knee band for when I run, but then my ankle started bugging me and it seems I've developed a bit of an overuse injury.  My race is next weekend, so I'm going to try my best to take it easy for the next little while and see if I can't get that ol' ankle in shape for the big race.  But it looks like I might just head down to Huntington Beach to pick up my t-shirt and cheer on my friend.  Fingers crossed I'm able to race as well!

What I'm reading


This is the 3rd book in the Scythe series and it's such a fascinating world.  Highly recommend this series.  Just read a brief synopsis so you know what you're getting into before you dive in.

What I'm listening to

NPR's Life Kit podcast. Practical advice for all kinds of things! This week I learned how to remove some stains and also some tips for reducing food waste!  Not every episode is applicable to everyone, but there's definitely something in there for everyone.  Check it out!

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Vol. 2 Issue 42

Pic of the week 


Performed at Sketchfest in San Francisco this week with Patton Oswalt!  It was so fun!!!

Quote of the week

"And the winner of best kids and family podcast is...Story Pirates!" 
-Presenter at the iHeartRadio podcast awards.  I went to the awards show as the representative this year and accepted the award with my friend Mike.  It was fun!  And cool!  And now we have an award!  Check out our podcast!

What's going on?

What.  A.  Week!  I have been neck-deep in Story Pirates this week.  Had a bunch of training sessions with the new crew of pirates, a couple of rehearsals for a show this weekend, the podcast awards ceremony and performed in San Francisco at Sketchfest.  It was a whirlwind week, but so much fun!  I also managed to sneak in a couple of tutoring students, a movie, and some naps cuz I'm still kind of fighting a cold. 

ALSO!  It seems I have developed a bit of a repetitive stress/overuse injury in my ankle from the race training.  So as much as possible I've been trying to stay off my foot and give it some rest so that when I have to race in two weeks it's in tip-top shape.

What I'm watching


Honestly, I thought this was lovely. Go see it and bring tissues.

What I'm listening to

This fun new station I discovered on Spotify.  It's so peppy and lively!

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Vol. 2 Issue 41

Pic of the week 


There is a magical place here in LA called Wi Spa.  It's a Korean spa.  I've known about it for years and have had several friends recommend it highly, but didn't end up going until this week.  Y'all.  I think I'm gonna go there AT LEAST once a month from here until the day I die.  That place is a dream.  Saunas, hot tubs, cold tubs, steam rooms, a rooftop patio, a sleeping room.  It's $30 to enter and you can stay for 24 hours!  They also have skincare treatments, massages, scrubs and the like, but that stuff costs extra and is a bit expensive.  I spent four hours there and felt SO refreshed afterward.  This a picture of my lunch.  A little miso soup and a smoothie.  It was perfect.  

What's going on?

We're back in the swing of life!  I honestly love my day to day.  It's always different and always an adventure.  This week included tutoring, Story Pirates training, hanging with friends, a trip to Disneyland, the Wi Spa, and a whole lot of napping.

I've come down with a cold again.  I can't tell if it's a new cold, or if the cold I started getting at Christmas just faded into the background for a couple of weeks.  Either way, I'm ready to not be sick.  I've got too much to do. I did still manage to run 11 miles yesterday, and honestly felt pretty good.  I was obviously tired at the end of it, but not yearning for death. I think it helped that I did a run on the beach at sunset.  The beach is always a fun place to run because A - it's gorgeous, B - it's almost completely flat (I run on the boardwalk/bike path), and C - it's FILLED with the weirdest people.  I love it.  My ankle is bugging me today, but hopefully it'll be feeling better by tomorrow cuz I gotta jump back in those running shoes!

And after writing all of that positive, uplifting stuff, I remembered that I saw this meme on Facebook this week that was pretty upsetting and was posted by a member of the church.  It was blatantly racist, Islamophobic, and laughably untrue.  At least it would be laughable if it wasn't so upsetting.  That same person has posted a few things that border on hate speech and I find it so saddening that someone who claims to be a follower of Christ could spread such hateful things.  Y'all.  We're all children of God.  With rare exceptions we're all trying to do the best we can with what we've got.  People who practice Islam are - just like Christians - in the VAST majority of cases, peaceful, loving, compassionate people trying to make the world a better place.  To imply otherwise is inhumane and the opposite of how a follower of Christ should behave.

Rant over.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Vol 2. Issue 40

Pic of the week 



This is a wish tree we encountered on New Year's Eve while wandering around the Venice Canals. (Yep.  Venice, CA has canals too.  They're adorable.).  It was lovely to read through people's wishes for everything from a Barbie Dreamhouse to world peace.

Quote of the week

"Happy New Year!"
-Everyone

What's going on?

New year, new me!  Just kidding.  Same old me.  And that's okay!  No big plans for the year, honestly.  I'm cutting out sugar, and for the most part dairy and refined grains for January cuz I need a bit of a nutritional jump-start.  Also trying to drink more water cuz kidney stones apparently run in the family and that's not a life I'm excited to live.

It's been a very chill holiday season - lots of napping and movies and friends and too much food. Just the way I like it.  But I'm ready and excited to jump back into life.

Training for the new Story Pirates started this week and Yours Truly was in charge of it!  First time.  It's been a blast.

I got an Instant Pot for Christmas!  I used it for the first time to make some soup.  Here's the deal - Instant Pots are pretty cool, but they're not as instant as they make you believe.  Still, they are pretty easy and help make the cooking more efficient, so I'm all for that.

What I'm reading


This is the second book I'm reading from a list I stumbled on titled "10 Books About Race To Read Instead Of Asking A Person Of Color To Explain Things To You."  (So You Want to Talk About Race was the first) I think it's important to understand perspectives different from your own and see and understand that the world can look very different to different people.  Understanding, celebrating, and cultivating diversity are big parts of what I do in all of my work.  I make lots of mistakes, but I'm trying to do better.  I urge you to do the same!  Warning for those who care - there is some language in this one.

What I'm watching


It feels like these movies are always controversial, but I really enjoyed it.  It wasn't perfect, but I thought it did a pretty good job wrapping up the whole saga.  I think Star Wars is too much of a cash cow for them to be done with Star Wars movies, but it appears this is at least the end of this particular storyline, and I thought it was a great end.

What I'm listening to


Season two is out, y'all.  Google it, find it, get it, live it.  I think EVERYONE needs to listen to this podcast, but especially everyone in Utah.  Season 1 breaks down the deal behind MLM businesses and how they're basically a racket.  Don't get sucked in.  Season two is out and going in a slightly different direction, but I am here for it.