A weekly selection of what I was reading, drawing, writing, and doing.

Last week was a whirlwind and now we’re in February… woooooooo!

I continued my streak of hiking each month and wrote about Hiking Dumgoyne (but not quite because COVID).

I’ve been reading a book on stoicism (The Stoic Guide to a Happy Life by Massimo Pigliucci) and needed a break, so I started reading some science fiction (Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir) and it’s been a great escape. I came across The best books on Science Fiction and Philosophy last week and picked up Diaspora by Greg Egan to read next.

As for the stoicism book, this general theme has been the most valuable:

“…every time you face a challenging task or situation, make a habit to reflect on it and write down a list of aspects of the task or situation that are under your control, as well as a list of those that are not under your control. Then, use the lists to guide your attention, time, and efforts on elements of the first list: aspects of the task or situation that are under your control. Remind yourself, by way of a short mantra, if need be, that elements you’ve assigned to the second list are not up to you. Just like with anything else, from driving a car to playing an instrument, to going to the gym, mindful efforts do the trick over time: the more you do it, the easier it gets.” (Massimo Pigliucci, The Stoic Guide to a Happy Life)

Continuing along those same lines, this framework for cultivating a deep life provides a template that resonates with me. I like it because it focuses on a short interval (one month) and a simple idea to pick one thing to amplify and one thing to reduce. Rinse and repeat that enough times and results will follow.

Ok, switching gears now, I attended a vegan cooking class with my wife at the Edinburgh New Town Cookery School and learned about, among other things, aquafaba:

Due to its ability to mimic functional properties of egg whites in cooking, aquafaba can be used as a direct replacement for them in some cases

I published my My favorite music: January 2022 Edition just under the wire.

Finally, what is it about card tricks like the ambitious card that is so satisfying?

Something about this pic of our dog standing by a horse makes me happy, so I’m including it here because I can!

Last but not least, check out what I’m up to now.