Happy Friday! I thought I would share some of my favorite things from the week. I hope you have a refreshing weekend.
And remember…It’s okay to be happy with a calm life.
Worth checking out: Stunning Vintage Photos Found in Thrift Store
This makes me want to go thrifting.
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Worth listening to: This week’s episode of This American Life – The Problem We All Live With
Right now, all sorts of people are trying to rethink and reinvent education, to get poor minority kids performing as well as white kids. But there’s one thing nobody tries anymore, despite lots of evidence that it works: desegregation. Nikole Hannah-Jones looks at a district that, not long ago, accidentally launched a desegregation program. First of a two-part series.
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Worth reading: Wild in the Hollow by Amber Haines
I read this entire book in one sitting. The beautiful prose and tender pouring out of Amber’s story kept me rooted to my spot on the couch. The only thing that would have made this book better is if she was sitting next to me, so we could talk about all the ways I saw myself in her journey. I know I will go back again and again to highlighted passages as I process through the themes of redemption and hope and desire. I will be thinking about these words for a long time to come.
Worth tearing up over: Wife celebrates husband’s first major league hit
Goodness, I love this game.
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Worth thinking about: How to Vacation Like It’s 1999
You set off on a much-needed summer break. The second you land, you check your cellphone and are greeted by a flood of messages. After an hour sitting in your hotel room replying to work emails, you finally go to the beach. You pull out your iPad to read a book and, oh, look: You have a message on Facebook, not to mention WhatsApp, Snapchat and Twitter. And because the beach is so beautiful, it’s probably a good idea to take an Instagram. After a hundred attempts to capture the best and most original photo of a beach ever taken, you spend another hour seeing how many “likes” your photo got.
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Worth eating: The Oatmeal Pancake
One of my very first recipe posts, my kids reminded me to start making The Oatmeal Pancake again this week. Yesterday I made them with gluten-free quick cooking oats and a few chocolate chips for good measure. Great for back to school too!
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Worth noting:
– I changed my Twitter name to @Alysa last week. I found the woman who had the username tied up, and since she doesn’t use Twitter very often (or at all), she gave it to me. Pretty sweet, huh?
– I also changed my Facebook group name to Alysa Bajenaru (it was Inspired RD). My goal in all of this is to have everything streamlined under my name, while still using “Inspired RD” as a kind of nickname.
– I am currently working on a Beginner’s Guide to Night Sky Photography (for those of you who have been asking). Coming soon…
– I have taken on a leadership role in the baseball world that is taking some of my writing time and social media energy. If you are a woman in professional baseball and want to learn more about how to get connected with other women in the game, shoot me a message!
I am so excited about your beginners guide to night sky photography! And I will have to read that book – looks amazing! Thanks for sharing – happy weekend 🙂
I was wondering how you managed to get the handle @alysa on twitter. So great!
Sorry, this was caught in the spam folder! I figured out who had the handle through some sleuthing (figured out who her husband was on Twitter), contacted him and asked if she would be willing to talk about giving it to me since she never tweets. She emailed me and said yes! We got on the phone and when she changed her username, I snagged @Alysa. Exciting!