Hey friends and other human beings! This week, I am back with another edition of Five Things Friday. This is a list of five things that have been buzzing around in my head this week — be they podcasts, books, news articles, hobbies, games, whatever.
This week, I talk about my new set of wheels, the daily routines of geniuses and the best country album of the year. Thanks, as always, for reading and joining me on the journey!
Without further ado, here are five things for this Friday:
1. I got a new bike!
It's actually a pretty old bike but I love it. I haven't gotten this much joy out of just riding a bike around in a long time and I've been finding any excuse I can to ride it.
As you can tell from the photo, it's a very unique bike. It's a Cannondale Caad2 aluminum frame bike that's been modified with what's called an Xtracycle — that's the big storage extension you see on the end. What makes it more unique is they don't even make Xtracycle extensions like this anymore; the company now makes their own line of e-bikes that includes the storage extension.
I bought it from a guy named Shane, who I worked for in the sustainability office at UK. Besides being just the coolest guy with the coolest job, of course, he had this really cool set of wheels and I always wanted something like it myself. It seemed like the perfect work horse of a bike: It had good thick tires for rolling over bumps and obstacles with ease. It was what I call a "beater bike" — lots of character and wear and tear, so you don't mind if it gets takes some damage every now and then. And then the Xtracycle affords it endless possibilities; you can carry just about anything you want on the back. Shane has literally carried two other bikes with this bike!
About a month or so ago, he posted that he was selling it and I jumped at the chance. Now, I've got it and I can't imagine a better way to run around as the cooler weather of fall sets in (finally). Thanks for hooking me up, Shane!
Get out and ride, friends! Always wear a helmet, too.
2. The daily routines of writers, artists and other interesting people
I am pretty sure I encountered this thanks to Austin Kleon's newsletter. It's a random collection of descriptions of the daily patterns of prominent people, historical or otherwise. I find Winston Churchill's quite fascinating personally.
I like it because I feel we tend to have one set idea of the routine for people who are driven, creative, genius, etc. This is a good reminder there are all kinds of patterns of life, deliberate or otherwise, and you can still be creative/productive/brilliant/whatever in your own kind of way. In other words, you don't have to follow someone else's rhythm to be your best creative self; you have to figure out your own rhythm and lean into that as much as possible.
3. Best thing I read this week: "I'm a college president, and I hope my campus is even more political this year" by Michael Roth
I discussed the issue of campus free speech, particularly when it comes to protests over the war in Gaza, in a previous edition of FTF. This essay says much of what I was trying to express, but much more eloquently.
From the article:
To strengthen our democracy and the educational institutions that depend on it, we must learn to practice freedom better. This fall we can all learn to be better students and better citizens by collaborating with others, being open to experimentation and calling for inclusion rather than segregation — and participating in the electoral process. As for those loud voices in the political sphere who are afraid of these experiments, who want to retreat to silos of like-mindedness, we can set an example of how to learn from people whose views are unlike our own.
And that is my greatest hope for the fall: that we will cultivate our ability to pay attention, to talk to one another across our differences.
4. Have the Heart by Post Malone feat. Dolly Parton
I never knew how much the world needed a Post Malone album, but it's here. And every track is a banger.
5. Words of the week:
believe us, they say
it is a serious thing
just to be alive
on this fresh morning
in the broken world.
I beg of you,
do not walk by
without pausing to attend to this
rather ridiculous performance.
It could mean something.
It could mean everything.
It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:
You must change your life.
"Invitation" by Mary Oliver
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