7 Things I Paid Attention to This Week #013
U2, the writing craft, latest podcast, AI, and more.
Hello, my friends, and Happy Friday!
The weekend is upon us and the weather in KC is gorgeous. I hope wherever you are today, your attention is locked on something good. Something that gives you joy and hope and life.
My wife is going to a conference this weekend and I’ll be hanging with the kids. A few soccer games, some dolly dress-up time, I’ll remind the boys who owns the driveway basketball court, and we’ll eat lots of fried foods covered in cheese.
Joy.
Here are seven things I paid attention to this week:
1. I’ve grown fonder over the band U2 in the last few years. I saw them play in Kansas City, and after starting Bono’s memoir, and watching the Disney Plus documentary: Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming with Dave Letterman, they are genius. My appreciation and fandom for the dudes from Dublin have raised considerably. The way they continue to make glorious music, and do good in the world, is the next level. Something to aspire to.
2. You can never own enough books on the writing craft. I find them inspirational, and I always come away thinking: every writer and creative person are different, and all work is hard. Eudora Welty was a Southern writer and photographer who wrote a fantastic quick read called: One Writer’s Beginnings. Part memoir, part writing craft, all awesome. Speaking of the writing craft, I interviewed novelist Kristin Oakley on the pods.
3. Ear Candy: you knew it was coming. I’ve had this U2 album on heavy rotation this week, and Songs of Experience. I won’t tell you which song makes me cry. And, I will say it again, please get on the Jason Isbell train. Here is a Tiny Desk concert.
4. More from the Bookshelf: nothing beats a good thriller for the summer months. This is one I read a while back, but is worth a re-read. The Silent Patient is phenomenal. A little darker fare, but worth a read for anyone dealing with grief: The Year of Magical Thinking.
5. Eye Candy: wasn’t sure what to expect, but the Netflix show Beef blew me away. A meditation on the existence of God, happiness, love, and this experience we’re having here on earth. I will write some more thoughts about this soon.
6. Is ChatGPT a good thing? Steven Garber gives his thoughts, and so does Cal Newport.
7. I’ll leave you with this quote from Steven Garber:
“Of a love in the ruins—like our love, like our lives. There is wonder and wound twined together in the happiest of homes, truth be told, and we don’t get better than that, even as we long for something more.”
Chat soon,
Ryan