Five things from this week...
8 December 2023
Five things from this week-Friday 8 December 2023
For the first time (of which I’m aware), I have Covid. That means I’ve been sequestered in the basement with nothing but time on my hands, which is reflected in my list.
If you use Spotify, you will have recently gotten your listening stats for 2023 ‘wrapped’ for you.
I spent the equivalent of 18 days listening to Spotify in 2023.
My top song was ‘Tropic Morning News’ by the National
My top five artists in 2023 were:
The National
Taylor Swift-I will not apologize. I will also not apologize for liking Harry Styles, who despite a late-year push, didn’t quite make the list.
Bon Iver-The first time they haven’t been #1 in a few years. I saw them in Duluth this summer.
Death Cab for Cutie-Also a past #1
Pearl Jam-A sneaky top 5, that I would not have guessed
Speaking of music—I was riding in the car with our 15-year-old and her friend. I had ‘Achtung Baby’ by U2 playing and it got me thinking. This album came out in 1991, what would’ve been an equivalent album when I was 15 years old. Brace yourself, the answer is pretty scary—the debut album by The Beatles!
Time in the basement has allowed a lot of time for writing. Dr. Micah Woods and I are working on turning the data and observations of ‘no Monday maintenance’ practices into a research paper. The working title is Playing Condition and Soil Organic Material Response to sand topdressing in a creeping bentgrass rootzone. There is much more to come on this subject, so stay tuned.
Another thing I will not apologize for is playing video games. F1 2023 is my favorite and with a wheel and pedal setup, it's a lot of fun and quite realistic. If you’ve followed me for any period, you’re likely to know of my love for F1. This game is just another way to enjoy it.
One of my favorite F1 characters is James Allison, the Technical Director of the Mercedes F1 team. This week I enjoyed this interview. One of the standout items was his talking about how he comes to work every day and commits himself to cheerfulness and making sure he enjoys his work.
I’m not typically one to binge-watch TV series. When I have time in the evening, I’d rather write, read, or go to bed. Since I’ve got time on my hands, I started watching The Bear and it’s quite good, but very intense. As I watched the first couple of episodes, I realized I was clenching my fists while I watched.
This week’s posts: