5 Things Occupying My Brain
Some of them are very weird.
Writing a newsletter every week is a very interesting exercise. It’s especially challenging when you feel unable to stick to one topic. So here are 5 things that my brain has been occupied by this week.
I listened to this Hugh Howey interview and loved it. He’s the author of the super popular self published Wool book series which is now an Apple TV show called Silo. Hugh gave himself 10 years to write while working at a bookstore to see if he could become a successful writer before moving on if it didn’t work out. He talks about self publishing, growing an audience, and practically giving his work away to just get it out there.
I love the work of artist Michelle Armas. She makes these wild drippy totem paintings. They are gorgeous. What I also love is that she has a free downloadable guide to all of her materials that she uses in her work and teaches paid classes to show you how to make artwork like hers. Isn’t that a wild idea?! No gatekeeping! Give away everything you know.
Elliott and I have been having a polymer clay bonanza. Every night we fashion the tiniest sculptures together or just smoosh colors together to make weird beautiful little beads. Highly recommend as an activity you and your kid will enjoy together.
This week all I really want to talk about are glucose monitor videos. Is this a corner of the internet you’ve ventured into? My techy California cousin reduced his cholesterol by monitoring his glucose levels which is what sent me down this rabbit hole. Basically a middle aged man wears a continuous glucose monitor, eats a food, and then tells you how the food affected his blood sugar. They are gripping to me. I need to know what will happen! Obviously this is just a sample size of one and food affects all people differently, but this is what I’ve learned so far.
There is something about seeing those little charts and the simple cause and effect relationship between the food and the impact on your body that makes me think differently about food.
I also found out that my health insurance covers 6 free visits to a nutritionist a year. I have high cholesterol and would like to address it with a professional. My insurance directed me to Husk nutrition where you can meet with a nutritionist virtually to discuss your goals. I’m curious to see how it goes.
Ok, so I know you probably thought the glucose monitor videos were a weird recommendation, but friends it’s about to get weirder. I’ve been reading through the Bible every day for 15 minutes. I’ve finished the New Testament and have started in Genesis and friends if you’ve ever read the Old Testament you know that it feels way more like the Jerry Springer show than the Duggers, or maybe it does feel like the Duggers, just the reality behind their reality TV show. It is the most bonkers parts of humanity, just a crazy mess right from the start. If you like true crime then you will like the Old Testament. I actually really wish someone would make a true crime podcast based on the story of Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers. I find a lot of it confusing and the cultural context foreign and maddening. One of the super confusing stories I read this week was the story of Tamar which when I read it was just so weird and confusing and I hated it so much. So I looked up a podcast for someone to explain it to me and it blew my mind. I think Tamar is one of my new favorite Bible characters. So if you want to know the story of this lady losing her husband, pretending to be a prostitute to get an heir, being threatened to be put to death, and then ultimately putting the patriarch to shame for his unjust actions. Listen here.
That’s all. Thanks for being here. Curious what weird things are on your mind this week. Leave them in the comments.
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E-mail: halestormenator@gmail.com
I’m totally with you when it comes to reading the OT! It’s a story that makes you want to keep reading or sometimes slam it closed in dismay. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Tamar! I think you’ve figured her out quite well. 😉