Productivity
😌
I created a media tracker database in Notion to help me plan my watching, reading, and listening. It won’t cover every single thing, but it’ll lead me through my media journeys when they get more involved. I started with my current media project, catching up on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starting with Phase Four. I based the columns on a simplified form of Schema.org and got the data largely from Wikidata. The database immediately achieved its purpose of making it very easy to choose what to watch next.
Health
🙄
I paused my walks to let my leg recover. I’d had moderate shin splints or something just below my right knee for a few weeks, and walking slightly slower wasn’t helping, so I decided I needed a break from my walks altogether till the soreness calmed down. Stairs were also out, so I had to keep reminding myself to take the elevator, which was inconvenient when I had to walk down the hall to get to it.
Food
😎
I tried a bunch of great teas from Adagio. I wanted some paper tea filters to use at work, so I took the opportunity to spend my Adagio gift card on some tea too. I ordered their Spring sampler to go with the Winter sampler Colleen had given me for Christmas. The Spring sampler revolves around fruit. As usual, the flavors all blend well, and they’re gentle instead of slapping me in the face like most other fruit teas I’ve had, which have been too tart.
I also ordered one of the teas from my tea-themed Christmas label project from a few years ago, The Amazing Kimberly Tea. The description and review had intrigued me, and I’d wanted to try it ever since then. I loved the fact that it was part of a project where two friends created custom blends for each other. And I’m happy to report the tea lives up to its description.
Spirituality
🤔
In Pentecost, Emilio Alvarez reminded me there are hidden depths of spiritual experience I could be pursuing. In a chapter on Pentecost hymns, prayers, and Scriptures, Alvarez discusses Symeon the New Theologian, who wrote about his own direct experience of God. Life often feels mundane and draining, but examples like Symeon give us clues that on occasion the veil between natural and supernatural may part to give us a taste of the profound. I sometimes feel I need this kind of celestial perspective to keep me grounded in kingdom pursuits. At the same time, I remind myself there’s a danger of running after intense experiences without also chasing a changed heart.
Video
🙂
I kicked off MCU Phase Four with Black Widow. I’d wanted a Black Widow movie since early on in the series, so it was gratifying to finally have one. The movie didn’t disappoint, and it expanded my view of the character. I thought the theme of found family was very timely. The story did feel like a side quest more than the opening of a story arc, but maybe there are some tie-ins to the rest of the phase to watch for.
