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Published on Micro.blog on February 16, 2026 Here's something that's been sitting uncomfortably in my brain lately: I don't really experience what I'd call "screen stress," but I've definitely found myself in those loops where I've been on screens for hours and hours, and I look up and feel... exhausted. Not stressed exactly, just drained. And somehow in all that scrolling time, I've been neglecting analog things I actually need to do. Errands that keep getting pushed to tomorrow, books sitting unread, walks not taken. It's that damn infinite scroll, right? You start out thinking you'll just check one thing, and suddenly it's been two hours and you haven't moved. And here's the kicker: the guy who invented infinite scroll, Aza Raskin, deeply regrets creating it. He's called it "behavioral cocaine" and said he didn't foresee the consequences. He literally co-founded the Center for Humane Technology to fight against the attention economy he helped build. Even the person who made this thing wishes he hadn't. [ad2bda3f-f9b3-4672-8080-6f4b62b8632c_6720x4480.webp]So when I came across an article by Robin Pickering, a public health professor at Gonzaga University, something clicked. She's exploring a particular kind of modern irony: we're all drowning in self-care advice (the wellness industry is a multi-trillion-dollar machine now), yet Americans' self-rated mental health is at the lowest point since Gallup started tracking it in 2001. And a big piece of this puzzle might be about how screens aren't just stressing us out. They're quietly monopolizing our time and energy in ways we don't always notice. The Accidental ExperimentSo here's the thing about Pickering's take on all this. It's not just theoretical for her. She actually suffered a concussion and got prescribed two months of strictly screen-free cognitive rest. No TV, no email, no Zoom, no social media, no streaming, no texting. Just... nothing digital for two months. And here's where it gets interesting: the benefits were almost immediate. Better sleep, longer attention span, and what she describes as "a newfound sense of mental quiet." And this tracks with what we know about how our brains work: when cognitive and emotional stimuli decrease, our brain's regulatory systems can actually recover from overload and chronic stress. Now, obviously most of us can't (and probably don't want to) go completely screen-free for weeks or months. But that basic insight about reducing stimuli to let our brains recover? That's something we can actually use. The Exhaustion You Don't See ComingHere's what I've noticed in my own life: it's not that screens make me feel stressed in the moment. It's that after hours of scrolling, switching between apps, consuming content, I feel completely wiped out. And somehow, in all that time, the errands I needed to run are still sitting there. The analog activities I know would actually refresh me? Taking a walk, reading a physical book, doing something with my hands. They just keep getting displaced. The thing about infinite scroll is that it's designed to feel effortless. There's no natural stopping point. It's not like finishing a chapter in a book or reaching the end of an album. You just... keep going. And before you know it, you've spent the entire evening or afternoon in this weird limbo where you're not exactly enjoying yourself, but you're also not doing anything else. That's the gap Pickering is talking about: the difference between feeling like you're resting and actually creating the conditions for your brain to recover. The "Rest" That Isn't Really RestHere's the uncomfortable truth: when you're lying in bed scrolling through TikTok or leaving the TV on in the background while you do other things, it might feel like you're resting, but your brain is still very much at work. Your attention, your emotions, all your sensory processing? It's all still firing. Even while people are sitting or lying still, being onscreen can keep their nervous systems in a heightened state of arousal. We've even created trendy terms for these behaviors. "Bed-rotting" (spending extended periods in bed while scrolling) is often framed as radical rest or self-care. But it's not creating the biological conditions for actual restoration. It just looks like downtime from the outside. And it's not just about the time we intentionally spend on screens. Think about how often we pull out our phones during routine moments throughout the day, waiting for water to boil, standing in line, sitting at a red light. We're repeatedly redirecting our attention back to screens in those small moments that could otherwise be... well, just moments of nothing. The Algorithm ProblemHere's what really gets me though: these platforms we turn to for "unwinding" aren't exactly designed with our relaxation in mind. They're built (very deliberately) to keep us engaged. And the way they do that? By serving up content that gets an emotional reaction out of us. Anger, anxiety, outrage. These are the feelings that make us click, share, and keep scrolling. And this design is directly linked to higher stress, more distraction, and increased cognitive load. So we're coming to these platforms exhausted from our day, looking for some relief, and they're basically handing us content engineered to fire us up emotionally. It's like trying to calm down by eavesdropping on a heated argument. Sure, you can't look away, but you're definitely not relaxing. The Numbers That Make You Go "Huh"Get this: about one-third of U.S. adults say they feel overwhelmed most days. Not some days. Most days. And the whole constellation of problems: sleep issues, anxiety, trouble concentrating, feeling emotionally exhausted. It's showing up everywhere, especially in young adults and women. But here's what really strikes me: we're more fluent in wellness language than ever before. We all know about "me time" and burnout and boundaries and nervous system regulation. We can talk about these things. We understand the concepts. But somehow knowing about it all isn't translating into actually feeling better. That gap between knowing what we should do and actually doing it? That's the part that feels so frustrating. What Actually HelpsSo the research points to something kind of counterintuitive: the answer isn't adding more coping strategies to our routine. It's reducing the number of demands we're placing on our brains in the first place. Instead of hunting for the next wellness hack or productivity system, maybe what we need is just... less. Fewer inputs, fewer demands, fewer things pulling at our attention. Like, take multitasking with devices. You know when you're watching TV with your phone in your hand? That's not rest. You're just splitting your attention between two different streams of stimulation. Turns out picking one or picking neither actually helps more than doing both. Same thing with all those interruptions throughout the day. Every time you get a notification, switch apps, or do a "quick check" of your phone, that's adding to cognitive fatigue. It might feel small in the moment, but it adds up. Giving yourself permission to just... not be constantly available or updated? That's actually restorative. And then there's the environment piece. Spending time in quiet spaces, places without screens, being outside. These low-stimulation environments support our mood and emotional well-being in ways that high-stimulation digital spaces just can't match. Or trying those analog activities we keep talking about but never quite get around to. Reading actual physical books, journaling, gentle movement, walking without your phone. There's something about the texture of paper, the weight of a pen, the simple act of moving through space that creates room for your brain to actually rest. These things let you engage mentally without overload. The Bottom LineLook, I'm not trying to demonize technology here or suggest we all need to become digital hermits. Screens and digital tools aren't inherently bad. But there's a real difference between feeling like you're unwinding and actually allowing your brain and body to recover. And there's an even bigger difference between choosing to spend time on screens and finding that screens have somehow consumed all your available time. In Pickering's words: "fewer screens, fewer inputs, fewer emotional demands and more protected time for genuine cognitive rest are important components of an effective wellness strategy." Maybe that's the real self-care: not adding more tools or strategies or apps to our routine, but intentionally creating space where nothing is demanding our attention. Where we're not consuming, processing, reacting, or engaging. Just... being. Or, you know, actually running those errands. I'm writing this partly as a reminder to myself. The next time I reach for my phone "just to check one thing," I'm going to ask myself: is this what I actually want to be doing right now, or is this just what's easiest? Because those errands aren't going anywhere, and that infinite scroll will always be there waiting. But maybe today I'll pick up that book instead. What's your relationship with screen-based "rest"? Have you noticed a difference when you unplug? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

You know how some people collect stamps or vintage records? I collect random things. It's honestly my favorite thing - shuffling through the vast web, discovering stuff I never knew existed. So here's what caught my attention lately. Someone once said, "The more you know, the more you realize you don't know." Turns out that's annoyingly true. Especially when you discover entire personality types you never knew existed. Ready? Let's dive in. Are You an Otrovert?Introvert. Extrovert. Ambivert. But what if none of them fit? Psychiatrist Rami Kaminski coined a new term: otrovert. It comes from "otro" (Spanish for "other") plus "vert" (to turn, from Latin vertere). People who are perpetual outsiders - and totally fine with it. Otroverts aren't shy or awkward. They're warm, have close friendships, and meaningful relationships. But zero interest in belonging to groups. No clubs, organized religion, political tribes, or sports teams. The "are you in or out?" thing? They don't care. What they do care about: thinking for themselves. Evaluating every idea before accepting it. Freedom and independence. Questions over answers. Kaminski says introverts and extroverts are both "inherently communal." Otroverts? Fundamentally, outsiders - and that's not a bad thing. Recognizing it can be freeing. Take Kaminski's free test and see where you land. I'm an introvert, but some days I feel like an otrovert. Like I'm watching everyone play a game where I don't know the rules - and I'm not sure I want to learn them anyway. What a Corporate Lawyer Learned (That They Don't Teach You)David Elikwu spent five years at one of those massive corporate law firms where partners pull in millions. You'd expect typical hustle-culture garbage, right? Nope. Here's what he learned instead: Don't wait to be happy. Stop saying "I'll be happy when..." Your satisfaction isn't waiting for you around some corner. The people chasing "one day" end up washed downstream. Carve out happiness now, or don't expect it later. It's more important to be kind than intelligent. Smart people make dumb moves all the time when they forget about the humans involved. Want to actually get somewhere? Communicate clearly, save people time, and stop trying to sound clever. You can't please everyone. Some compromise is necessary. But most of the time, you can set better expectations upfront and stay in control of your sanity. Choose your battles. Make great mistakes. Not all failures are created equal. Don't repeat what someone else already screwed up. Make your mistakes cheaply, learn fast, and build a playbook. Fail forward, not sideways. Don't be an asshole. Success isn't a free pass to treat people like garbage. Basic decency and humanity will take you further than being the smartest jerk in the room. I agree with everything David says here. He's got 15 unconventional lessons about life, money, and success, total—I just picked my favorite 5. Read the rest if you want the full wisdom. And honestly? "Don't be an asshole" should be lesson #1 everywhere. When Women Rioted for BreadApril 2, 1863. Richmond, Virginia - Confederate capital, Civil War raging, hyperinflation making food unaffordable. Working-class women watched their families starve while husbands were away fighting or dead. Two women - Mary Jackson and Minerva Meredith - led hundreds to the State Capitol demanding help from Governor Letcher. When he dismissed them, they armed themselves with knives and pistols, stormed down 9th Street, crying: "We are starving! Bread or blood!" Four hundred women raided warehouses for bacon and flour. Two hours of chaos before authorities shut it down. Here's what matters: these were women in a society that demanded they be passive and subservient. They asked politely first. Got ignored. So they rioted. Many were charged, mostly poor and older women, who got punished while better-dressed ones walked free. But it worked. Historian Douglas O. Tice Jr. said it best: "Women, up until this event, were basically ignored... This was a desperate act, which took great courage... They stood up for once and were noticed." Sometimes asking nicely doesn't cut it. And watching grocery prices climb today? Makes you understand why people get desperate when basic food becomes a luxury item. We're not rioting (yet), but we're definitely feeling it every time we check out at the store. Time to Dust Off That DictionaryWriter Austin Kleon has a tip: buy a used paper dictionary for $5 and keep it on your desk. Why? Serendipity. When you look up a word, you brush past dozens of other words. You discover connections Google won't show you. "Patina" sits right after "patient" – one about enduring time, the other about its residue. Stephen King says: "Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word." Alan Moore called his Random House Dictionary the one book he'd save in a fire. The slowness is the point. Flipping pages, running your finger down columns, stumbling onto unexpected words. That friction creates space for curiosity. I've been going more analog lately, and this got me thinking about my own dictionary. I've got this massive unabridged one sitting in storage. Haven't touched it in forever. But reading this? I think it's time to dig it out. Put it on my desk where I can actually use it. Because yeah—stumbling onto words I wasn't looking for sounds way better than Google's instant one-word answer. That's it for this week. Hope you learned something you didn't know before. Or at least got inspired to question why French toast is called French toast. What random thing sent you down a learning spiral this week? Hit reply and tell me - I love discovering new things to dive into.

You're lying in bed, scrolling. Two hours vanish before you even realize it's happening—until suddenly you do. And there it is: the awareness. Your book's still on the nightstand. Your essay's waiting on your laptop. The puzzle's half-finished on the table. The coloring supplies are untouched. I catch myself here, too. Not in a guilt-spiral way, but in that quiet moment where you realize: this is finite time, and I'm choosing how it goes. That's when everything shifts. Because it's not really about doing enough—it's about whether I'm actually building something that feels like mine. The weird thing about knowing you're going to dieHere's the wild part: we know we're going to die. We know our time is limited. And somehow, that knowledge doesn't usually send us running toward meaning—it just... sits there. Heavy. Sometimes paralyzing. Sometimes ignored. We scroll instead. But here's where it gets interesting. That same limited time that should crush us? It's also what gives us permission to choose differently. Knowing we won't live forever makes life feel pointless and makes it matter. Both at the same time. That's the odd thing we're all living with. Think about it. If we had endless time, would anything be urgent? Would anything be precious? Would you actually care about finishing that book, or would you just keep scrolling because there's always tomorrow? The limited time isn't the problem. The problem is pretending we have more time than we do, and then being shocked when we look up and realize we've spent it on things that don't feed us. What building meaning actually looks likeI used to think building meaning meant achieving something big. Something impressive that proved your life mattered. But that's not what's happening when I sit down to write. Or when I'm deep in a puzzle, completely absorbed. Or when I'm finally reading the book that's been calling to me for months. Or when I'm in that meditative space of coloring, just... being present with something my hands are doing. Meaning isn't always loud. It's not always finished. Sometimes it's just the practice of choosing—over and over—to do the things that make you feel alive. To read instead of scroll. To create instead of consume. To be present instead of distracted. When I write, I'm not building meaning because I think my words will change the world. I'm building it because the act of writing—of finding my voice, of wrestling with ideas, of putting something that's mine into the world—that's what makes me feel like I'm actually living, not just existing. Same with the puzzle. Same with the coloring. Same with cracking open a new book and disappearing into someone else's world for an afternoon. These aren't distractions from life. They are life. Meaning is a practice, not a destination. It's what you build in the small, intentional choices you make with your limited time. The things that outlast usHere's something I've been sitting with: our lives are limited, but the things we create—the connections we make, the work we do, the person we become through these choices—those matter beyond just us. You don't have to believe in an afterlife to understand this. You just have to look at what lasts: a book that changed someone's thinking. A conversation that shifted how someone saw themselves. The memory of someone's kindness. The impact of someone choosing presence over distraction, meaning over numbness. When you build something—whether it's writing, a creative practice, a relationship, or just the habit of choosing what matters—you're reaching beyond your own limited timeline. You're part of something bigger than yourself. That's not about being remembered or famous. It's about the quiet knowledge that how you spend your time matters to people around you. That your choice to read instead of scroll, to create instead of consume, to be present instead of numb—those choices ripple out. Not because they're perfect or impressive, but because they're real. They're yours. What to do with all thisLook, you already know you're limited in time. You already feel the weight of that sometimes, usually when you're quiet and thinking. The question isn't whether you'll run out of time—you will. The question is: what are you going to do with the time you have? Not in a frantic, productivity-obsessed way. But in a deliberate way that's true to who you actually are and what actually feeds your soul. Maybe it's finally picking up that book. Maybe it's committing to your writing, even when it feels small and insignificant. Maybe it's giving yourself permission to sit with a puzzle or a coloring page without feeling guilty that you're "not being productive." Maybe it's just this: the next time you catch yourself scrolling instead of building, instead of reading, instead of creating—pause. Notice the choice. And then ask yourself: what am I really wanting right now? And is this how I want to spend this hour? Because here's what I've learned: limited time isn't a tragedy. It's an invitation. It's the universe's way of saying, "You get to choose. You don't have much time, and that's exactly why what you choose matters so much." Your limited time is your most valuable resource. And you're allowed to spend it on things that feel meaningful to you—even if they're small, even if they're quiet, even if nobody else understands why they matter. That's how you build a life that's actually yours.

So I've been reading about some random stuff lately, and these things have been sitting in my head for a while. You know how it is—you start with skyscrapers covered in forests, end up at the grocery store aisle, and somehow land on Bambi, of all things. Anyway, figured I'd share. You might find them interesting too. And it works. These buildings absorb 44,000 pounds of CO2 yearly, drop indoor temperatures by a few degrees, and within the first year, [over 1,600 birds and insects moved in. I keep wondering, though—how do you water all that greenery on a skyscraper? What happens if it's abandoned? I picture nature taking over completely—either wild and beautiful, or a complete overgrown mess. But maybe that's the point. Best part? The [Trudo Vertical Forest in Eindhoven] is social housing—rent capped at $510/month. Not some billionaire project. What if the measure of a modern city wasn't how far it sprawls, but how much living forest it can hold in the sky? The grocery store conspiracyEveryone's talking about ultraprocessed foods lately. [The Lancet just published a whole series on it](https://www.thelancet.com/series-do/ultra-processed-food), California passed a law about it for school lunches, and headlines everywhere. But here's the part they're dancing around. The takeover didn't happen overnight. In 1963, R.J. Reynolds—yes, the tobacco company—bought Hawaiian Punch. That was just the beginning. Big Tobacco went on a shopping spree—Del Monte, Nabisco, General Foods, Kraft, 7UP. They brought their addiction-engineering expertise straight to your pantry. By the 1980s, ultraprocessed foods were everywhere. Now? 70% of U.S. grocery stores are ultraprocessed—engineered to hit the "bliss point" that hijacks your brain's "I'm full" signal. The food industry spent 60 years removing actual food from our food. Get this: people eating ultraprocessed foods ate 500 more calories per day than people eating whole foods—even when both were equally available. They just couldn't stop. The damage? Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, depression, and early death. Just 10% more in your diet ups your early death risk by 3%. And food corporations made $2.9 trillion between 1962 and 2021, with over half going to ultraprocessed manufacturers. It's Big Tobacco's playbook all over again—engineer addiction, fund fake research, market to kids. Want to spot this stuff? Simple rule: if the ingredient list has things you'd never cook with at home, put it back. Trying to go analogRemember when going digital was supposed to make life easier? We dove in headfirst—smartphones, social media, streaming everything. Analog got pushed aside. But somewhere along the way, "easier" turned into exhausting. Infinite scroll. Constant notifications. Your attention sliced smaller and smaller. And now? We're tired. Our brains weren't designed for this. I found this piece called "The Analog Life: 50 Ways to Unplug and Feel Human Again," and something just clicked. Going analog isn't about rejecting technology. It's about taking back your mental health. Give your brain a break. There's life beyond the infinite scroll. Going analog is about resisting the tech industry. They design their apps to be addictive on purpose—to grab your attention and keep you scrolling so they can profit off every minute you're online. So I'm trying to go analog. Reading actual books before bed. Brewing my latte in the morning and sitting on the porch without my phone. When spring comes, I'll be watching the Appalachian mountains wake up. Writing my to-do list by hand. Watching sunsets—trying to be more of an opacarophile. Just trying to reclaim my own attention. Bambi, unfilteredI remember watching Bambi as a kid. Thought he was adorable. And it was heartbreaking watching all the animals flee the forest during that fire. Classic Disney, right? Here's what I didn't know: [Disney's Bambi, released in 1942, was based on an adult novel](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/88287-new-bambi-translation-reveals-the-dark-origins-of-the-disney-story.html) never meant for children. [Walt was moved by the story and hated hunting, but he worked from a faulty English translation](https://www.waltdisney.org/blog/consider-source-bambi) that made it seem like "a delightful animal tale." He missed the darker political allegory. So he turned it into something families could watch together. [The original Bambi is bleak as hell](https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/pb-daily/not-meant-for-children-felix-salten-and-the-story-of-bambi). Felix Salten's 1923 novel wasn't about cute forest friends. It's an existential meditation on violence, survival, and death. Bambi's mom getting shot? That's actually one of the lighter moments. Salten was Jewish, writing in Vienna as antisemitism was rising. His book is about fear, random death, and the realization that there's no such thing as safety. Less "woodland adventure," more "nature is beautiful and terrifying, and we're all just trying not to die." Disney gave it hope and sentimentality. Which, okay—six-year-olds probably don't need existential dread. But it makes you wonder what else gets sanitized before it reaches us. Male birth control is finally happeningWomen have had the pill for over 60 years. Men? Condoms or vasectomy. That's it. Think about that for a second. Women have been dealing with the side effects, the responsibility, and the health risks for over six decades. And it's only now that anyone's seriously investing in male options? Kind of tells you where the priorities have been. But things might actually be changing. But things are moving. A hormone-free pill just passed its first human safety trial in 2025. There's a daily gel that 86% of guys responded to within 8 weeks. Even a long-acting option (Plan A) might be available in 2026. Will guys actually use it? 75% said yes. Turns out a lot of them want more control and are willing to deal with the side effects women have been managing for decades. Matthew Treviño, a participant in the UC Davis trial, said it perfectly: "Maybe the burden is on the wrong side. I kind of think it's unfair that it only lands on the women." Makes you wonder—why did it take this long? --- What caught your attention this week? I'd love to know what got you thinking.

So I've been doing a lot of writing lately for this new organization I'm working with—OULDHH (Organization of Unique Learners for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community). We're pretty informal, just getting started really, but we're gathering resources and information about neurodivergence, accessibility, and education for the Deaf community. I've been posting new content every Wednesday—sometimes about neurodivergence, sometimes about whatever else I'm geeking out about that week. And honestly? Some of these posts hit close to home. Whether you just got a diagnosis for yourself or your child, you're dealing with school stuff that feels impossible, or you're just trying to figure out what ADHD or autism or learning disabilities actually mean—I wanted to share what I've been working on because I think it might help. [hands together.jpg]Starting point: You just found outYou Just Found Out You're Neurodivergent. Here's What We Want You to Know. If you or your kid just got diagnosed, start here. It's short. It's warm. And it's basically saying: you're not broken. You never were. Let's talk about what comes next. The stuff nobody tells youWhy "They're Smart, Just Lazy" Is So Harmful Ever heard this one? Or maybe you've said it? (No judgment—we've all been there.) This breaks down why that phrase does so much damage and what's actually going on when neurodivergent people struggle. ADHD Isn't About Attention. It's About Regulation. Turns out people with ADHD don't have trouble paying attention—they have trouble controlling where their attention goes. Big difference. This one explains what's really happening and why "just focus" doesn't work. Autism: Masking is Survival, Not Social Skill Masking—that thing where you hide who you are to fit in—it's not about getting better at socializing. It's about staying safe in a world that treats being different as being wrong. This one's heavy but important. When school is the problemWhen Education Becomes Trauma: A Guide for Parents and Educators (Part 1) If you're watching a kid struggle at school and you need actual strategies right now—not platitudes, but real tools—this is where to go. Ten practical things you can do to help. When Education Becomes Trauma: Why Our Schools Are Failing Neurodivergent Students (Part 2) This one's the bigger picture. The systems-level look at why schools keep harming neurodivergent students, what the data actually says, and what needs to change. If you're advocating for better support, you'll want this one. Part 3 of the Education Trauma series is on the way—stay tuned. --- Not sure where to start?• New diagnosis in the family? "You Just Found Out" + "Why They're Smart, Just Lazy" • Figuring out your own neurodivergence? Pick whichever diagnosis post fits—"Autism Masking" or "ADHD Isn't About Attention" • School is a mess right now? Go straight to both Educational Trauma posts • Want the whole picture? Read them in order—they build on each other And hey, while you're exploring, check out [OULDHH.org](http://OULDHH.org) itself. We're still building things out, but there's already a lot there about learning disabilities, autism, ADHD, and Deaf accessibility. We're keeping it updated as we learn more and as new issues come up. Think of us as your informal resource hub—we're just collecting good information in one place so you don't have to hunt for it. --- Look, I know this stuff is a lot. You don't have to read everything at once. Bookmark what speaks to you. Come back when you're ready. Share what helps. The thing is, whether you're figuring this out for yourself or for someone you love, you deserve real information—not the myths, not the shame, just the truth about how different brains work and what actually helps. You're not alone in this. P.S. Seriously, if something in these posts resonates or if you have questions, hit reply. I actually want to hear from you. And if you know someone who needs this stuff, pass it along. Sometimes the right words show up exactly when you need them.

What a snowy wonderland—it’s 11 degrees! ❄️ I know I am weird because I’m drinking a cold mocha almond latte.🧋It’s a mood! Oh, I dread doing laundry🧺today, but only one or two small loads. I wonder what I will be doing today? Read a book, binge TV, or write more content? Decisions, decisions!

Posted on Substack on December 25, 2025 ------ You know that feeling when you turn down a street you've never been on before, and suddenly you're like, "Wait, where even am I?" That rush of uncertainty mixed with possibility? That's my favorite part of walking around any city. It's a mini-adventure hiding in plain sight. The whole "getting lost" thing isn't really about panicking because you don't know where you are. It's more like... allowing yourself not to have a plan for every moment. Sure, hit the famous landmarks if you want—they're famous for a reason. But leave some time for wandering without a route—no specific destination. Just walking and seeing where you end up. [Photo by Guilherme Stecanella on Unsplash]I learned this over 28 years in Washington, DC. My best weekends were the ones where I'd just pick a direction and go. Sometimes I'd walk through the same neighborhoods again to see what changed—a new mural that wasn't there last time, some cafe that just opened, a park that finally got finished. Other times I'd end up somewhere completely new, following a promising-looking alley or chasing interesting light into unfamiliar territory. Spring, summer, fall, winter—the city kept showing me different versions of itself, like it was daring me to keep exploring. I lived in the Atlas District (also known as the H Street Corridor), and I walked through the whole neighborhood—including NoMa—watching it transform beautifully over those years. New murals appearing on walls, empty lots becoming parks, streets evolving while still keeping their character. It was like watching the city grow and change in real time, always revealing something new on familiar routes. After 28 years at the same job, I got laid off. That's when I moved back to my hometown, a small rural Appalachian town. It's beautiful—the mountains surrounding the town are gorgeous, especially in winter, when they're blanketed in snow. There's something wondrous about that view. But I really miss walking around and exploring the city the way I used to. There's just not much to discover on foot here. Maybe once I get my driver's license, I can drive to nearby towns and explore them. Who knows? Until then, I'm holding onto those memories and dreaming about my next urban adventure. The Stuff You Actually FindWhen you're not on a tight schedule, rushing from landmark to landmark, you notice things differently. The way light hits a building at a certain time of day. Some tiny bookshop with a cat in the window. Street art on a random alley wall that feels like discovering a treasure map. A park where actual locals hang out instead of tour groups—the kind of scene that makes for a really good photo and feels like you've cracked a code. That's where the real discoveries are. Not because they're secret or hard to find, but because they're just... existing in the spaces between all the famous landmarks, waiting for someone curious enough to venture off the main drag. And honestly? Finding those hidden gems—the places most people don't know about—is one of my favorite things about exploring cities. Something is thrilling about stumbling onto a spot completely by accident and realizing you've found something special that isn't on any map or in any guidebook. It's like the city is sharing a secret with you, rewarding you for being brave enough to wander. I found so many spots like this in DC. There was this community garden hidden behind H Street that would absolutely explode with color every spring—like discovering a secret oasis in the middle of the city. Blagden Alley, with its incredible street art that most tourists never stumble upon, reveals new murals with each visit. A breakfast spot with a fantastic menu that hardly anyone seemed to know about, the kind of place that made you feel like an insider. This one specific angle at the Tidal Basin where the monuments reflected perfectly in the water, but only if you went at the right time and knew exactly where to stand. No tour guide ever mentioned it. It was mine to discover. Vintage shops that feel like digging through your cool aunt's attic. Gardens tucked behind gates you'd walk right past if you weren't paying attention. Every city has them. When You Stop Optimizing EverythingWe're so used to planning everything, right? Fastest route. Best value. Don't waste time. But walking without a plan is the opposite of that, and honestly, that's the point. Pick a direction. Turn when something looks cool. Follow interesting light or weird architecture. Stop whenever you feel like it. There's no such thing as a wrong turn when you're not actually trying to get anywhere specific. Keep your phone charged, sure. But maybe don't check your location right away every time you feel a little unsure where you are. That slight "hmm, where am I?" feeling? That's what keeps you actually looking around instead of just walking on autopilot. What You See From the GroundFrom a car or bus, cities are just... scenery going by. On foot, you're actually in it. You notice tile patterns, the way shadows make shapes on sidewalks, textures in old brick, and peeling paint. You're moving at people speed through people-sized spaces, and suddenly everything could be a photograph—doorways, puddle reflections, the way strangers interact in public. Residential neighborhoods tell you way more about a place than any tourist area. You see how people actually live. The playgrounds. The corner stores. The cafes where they meet up with friends. All the everyday details visitors usually miss. Looking Through the CameraAs someone who's into photography, wandering around lost is literally how I get my best shots. The photos that actually capture what a place feels like aren't at those famous viewpoints where everyone's crammed together taking the same picture. They're in unexpected moments—two elderly people on a bench in some forgotten plaza, morning light coming through market canopies, old buildings next to new ones when you turn a random corner. The shots that make people ask, "Wait, where is that?" In DC, I watched the same neighborhoods transform entirely through the seasons. Capitol Hill row houses looked totally different, framed by cherry blossoms versus covered in snow. Shaw's murals changed depending on whether it was harsh summer noon light or those low golden winter afternoons. Georgetown's cobblestone streets—which everyone photographs—showed me completely new compositions when I'd go at dawn, or after rain, or when they were covered in October leaves. Same places, infinite variations. Each season was like getting a whole new city to explore. You can see some of my favorite shots from wandering around DC (and other cities) on my Instagram: @technogeek75 When you're just wandering with no real agenda, you're way more tuned in to visual stuff. You're hunting for moments. You notice the color schemes that define different neighborhoods. You catch moments as they happen—someone arranging flowers in their shop, kids playing in a fountain, a residential street that's perfectly symmetrical. Your camera becomes a way of really seeing a place, not just proving you were there. The best part? These photos tell stories that guidebook shots can't. They're yours because you found them through your own curiosity and willingness to take that weird turn down that sketchy-looking alley that turned out to be amazing. Getting Intentionally LostIf wandering with zero structure sounds too chaotic, here's some loose guidance to make it feel more like an adventure and less like you're actually going to end up stranded: Start somewhere you know, so you can always get back. Give yourself a time limit—an hour, a whole afternoon, whatever. Bring water and comfortable shoes. Then... go hunting. Take side streets instead of main roads—that's where the real stuff is. Follow buildings that look interesting or mysterious. If you see stairs going up or down, take them (you never know what's at the top of that hill or at the end of that hidden passage). Notice where locals are heading and follow. Say yes to checking out that park, alley, or neighborhood you'd usually walk past. Treat every turn like it might lead to something unexpected. You're not trying to get completely, hopelessly lost. You're just making space for random discoveries. Think of it as urban exploration lite—all the thrill of discovery, none of the trespassing. The Stories (and Photos) You'll TellNobody wants to hear about waiting in line for an hour at some famous restaurant everyone goes to. But that random place you stumbled into where the owner made you try their family recipe? The tiny museum you found by accident that turned out to be super interesting? That perfect golden hour shot you got in some alley you'd never have seen if you'd stuck to the main streets? The time you followed a cat down three flights of stairs and discovered an entire underground art gallery? Those are the things worth talking about, the photos worth keeping. Those are what turn a trip to a city into actually experiencing the place. Those are the stories that make people lean in and say, "Wait, how did you even find that?" And here's the thing—you can't plan those moments. You can't Google Map your way to serendipity. You have to be willing to take the weird turn, follow the interesting light, trust your instincts when something catches your eye. That's where the magic lives. The Thing Is...Every city—even your own—has these moments just sitting there waiting—adventures hiding in plain sight. You have to be willing to get a little lost to find them. So next time you're walking anywhere, take a different route. Turn when you'd usually go straight. Follow that interesting-looking street even though you have no idea where it goes. Say yes to the detour. See what happens. The good stuff isn't hiding. You've just been too busy following directions to notice it. The city's been trying to show you its secrets all along—time to let it. Further Reading & TipsWant more ideas on getting lost and exploring cities? Check out these articles: On the Art of Wandering: • How to Explore a City by Wandering or Walking with Intention - Globalphile • Going Nowhere, Slowly - Mindful • Flânerie: The Art of Aimless Strolling - Sam Woolfe • The Art Of Aimlessly Walking - Rife Magazine On Finding Hidden Gems: • How to Find Hidden Gems in Every Destination - The Freedom Adventure • Finding Hidden Gems in a City: Expert Tips for Exploring Off the Beaten Path - Real Journey Travels

Posted on Substack on January 9, 2026 Hey folks, I’m experimenting here. I usually put together a monthly newsletter on various topics, but I read about 100 articles a week, and there’s always something that catches my attention and feels worth sharing sooner rather than later. Over the last two weeks alone, I had about 30 links I wanted to share with you—way too much for one newsletter. So I’m breaking them up into a weekly newsletter instead. This one covers genuinely good health news, some overdue reflection on Deaf representation, and tackling my mountain of unread books. Not sure yet if I’ll stick with weekly or go back to monthly—we’ll see how this feels. This one covers genuinely good health news, some overdue reflection on Deaf representation, and tackling my mountain of unread books. Not sure yet if I’ll stick with weekly or go back to monthly—we’ll see how this feels. Let’s start with some genuinely good news for once. HIV Cure BreakthroughThere are about 40 million people worldwide living with HIV, and we all take medications for life to suppress the virus and ensure we don’t develop symptoms or transmit it. I’ve been HIV+ for 29 years next month. And yes, I’ve always longed for a cure. I’ve heard about potential HIV cures over the last few years—plenty of “breakthroughs” that fizzled out. But when I read about researchers in Australia developing a new method using mRNA technology to deliver drugs into white blood cells where HIV hides, this one actually feels promising. The breakthrough allows scientists to force the virus out of hiding, potentially paving the way to fully clear it from the body. The scientists were “overwhelmed” by how well the approach worked compared to previous failed attempts. Overwhelmed. I get it. I’ve been taking medication forever, but I’m grateful that HIV therapy has evolved so much. I remember when I first got my diagnosis—my doctor prescribed a cocktail therapy (three medications separately), totaling about 13-15 pills every day! And one or two were huge pills, gosh. Now I’m just taking one pill a day. I’ve also heard about cabotegravir/rilpivirine (CAB/RPV), an injectable treatment for people living with HIV that you only have to take every two months. I might switch to that—I’ll have to ask my doctor about it. Lung Cancer Vaccine TrialMedical breakthroughs like this make me think about what could have been. My papaw (grandfather) had lung cancer and died, I think, a week after Christmas about 34 years ago. It was devastating for my family and relatives. He was loved by many. I loved him, and I missed him so much. He accepted me for who I am as a deaf person. Even though he would try to teach me how to pronounce “Papaw” and “Mamaw.” I think I got Papaw almost right, but I never pronounced Mamaw right. I have many good memories with my papaw, and they will be remembered forever. What if my papaw could have gotten a shot instead of a death sentence? I am amazed at how medical technology has evolved and continues to improve every day. Now, they’re conducting the world’s first clinical trial of LungVax, a preventative vaccine designed to stop lung cancer before it starts. The vaccine uses technology similar to the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to train the immune system to recognize and destroy abnormal lung cells displaying “red flag” proteins. The phase 1 trial will begin in the summer of 2026, focusing on people at high risk of lung cancer, including those previously treated for early-stage disease. If it goes well in the clinical trial, the future will brighten and help millions prevent it. Maybe some kid out there won’t have to lose their papaw at all. Marlee Matlin DocumentaryOn a completely different note, PBS American Masters just premiered “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore,” directed by fellow Deaf actress Shoshannah Stern. I haven’t watched it yet, but I plan to. I remembered when Marlee won her first Oscar in 1987—it shook the Deaf community because she spoke at the ceremony rather than signing, and we were shocked and disappointed. We made many negative comments about that. I don’t blame her for keeping her distance after what we did to her. But decades later? Marlee still stood firm and fought for our human rights, including closed captioning on every TV. From what I’ve heard about the documentary and her memoir, I’ll Scream Later, she opened up about things way beyond Oscar controversies—she didn’t know about Deaf Culture back then, plus drugs, domestic abuse, and isolation. We judged her without knowing any of this. It’s not about who wins 1st, 2nd, or 3rd anymore. I’m glad to see more Deaf people getting involved in Hollywood now. Yet, she still stands and refuses to be invisible, and she made damn sure we wouldn’t be either. The Read Hard ChallengeThat got me thinking about reading. I miss reading. I used to devour books in the 1990s and 2000s. Then I drifted away, spending more time online reading instead. Not only that, but I’ve also bought a lot of books in the last few years—unfortunately, most are DNF (Did Not Finish), creating a mountain of unread books sitting on shelves waiting for me to come back. My go-to genres have always been legal thrillers, medical thrillers, mystery, sci-fi, and fantasy. But I want to push myself beyond my comfort zone and explore something different. Studies show that reading different kinds of books helps you understand what other people are thinking and feeling—it’s called “theory of mind,” and it’s important for getting along with others. Reading across genres can also make your brain more flexible, helping you think in new ways and solve problems more effectively. Plus, you might discover a new favorite genre you never knew you’d love. Book Riot’s 2026 Read Harder Challenge offers 24 diverse prompts to push you beyond your usual choices: read a microhistory, a book by a d/Deaf author, a gothic novel published in the last ten years, a nonfiction book about AI or social media, a genre book in translation. You can even pick challenges from previous years to customize your reading journey. See you in the next one.

Happy Belated Disability Pride Month!Disability is sometimes called the "silent D" in diversity. This month is a strong reminder to highlight people often ignored by society, especially after a year of emphasizing the importance of institutions and businesses focusing on diversity. Although August is here now, I wanted to reflect on the past few weeks' events. I know this post is coming a bit late, but it's important to take the time to recognize the progress we've made. Plus, the delay has given me more time to gain experiences and insights that we can share in this post. July is Disability Pride Month, but some cities would celebrate Disability Pride Month another month. This is a time to celebrate the diversity and achievements of people with disabilities, raise awareness, and advocate for their rights and inclusion. I want to use this opportunity to share tips on being a better ally to the disability community. The official celebration of Disability Pride Month was in July 2015, part of the 25th anniversary of ADA. It was initiated by the New York City Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities. Since then, it has gained momentum and recognition across the United States and beyond to promote disability pride, culture, and identity. Disability Pride events and activities may include parades, concerts, art shows, workshops, and other forms of community engagement. They may also address various issues and themes, such as accessibility, education, employment, healthcare, and social justice. These events serve as a reminder that disability is not a defect or a tragedy but rather a natural variation of human diversity that deserves respect, appreciation, and celebration. Such events are being held all over the United States recently and soon. • Disability United Festival — July 16th, 2023 - New York City • Disability Pride Parade — July 22nd, 2023 - Chicago, IL • Disability Pride Philadelphia — September 9, 2023 - Philadelphia, PA • FestAbility: A Celebration of Disabilities — October 7, 2023 - Richmond Heights, Missouri • Disability Pride LA — October 8th, 2023 - Los Angeles, California As for accomplishments, the disability community has made significant progress in recent years, including the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the development of assistive technology and accessibility standards, and increased disability representation and visibility in media and culture. However, there is still much work to be done to address systemic barriers and discrimination that people with disabilities face, and Disability Pride Month serves as a call to action for individuals and organizations to continue pushing for change. The Disability Pride flagThe Disability Pride flag symbolizes the identity, resilience, and capacity of the disability community. It was created by Ann Magill, a member of the disability community, to encompass all disabilities. The flag has a faded black background, representing the suffering and protest of the disability community from violence, eugenics, and neglect. The flag also has five colors representing different types of disabilities, such as physical, mental, sensory, and invisible.[Image]The colors are: • Red: Represents physical disabilities, such as mobility impairments, chronic pain, or amputations. • Gold: Represents intellectual disabilities, such as autism, Down syndrome, or learning disabilities. • Pale grey: Represents invisible disabilities, such as diabetes, epilepsy, or mental health conditions. • Blue: Represents sensory disabilities, such as blindness, deafness, or synesthesia. • Green: Represents neurodiverse disabilities, such as ADHD, dyslexia, or Tourette syndrome. The colors are arranged in a diagonal band from the top left to the bottom right corner of the flag. This symbolizes how disabled people creatively navigate barriers and cut across the darkness of oppression and isolation. The diagonal band also represents intercommunal solidarity and light cutting through the darkness. The flag signifies pride, acceptance, and solidarity for disabled people and their allies. How to be a Better Ally…Being an ally means supporting and respecting people with disabilities, not pitying or patronizing them. It also means listening to their voices and experiences and learning from them. Here are some ways you can be a better ally: • Educate yourself on disability issues and history. Many online and offline resources can help you understand the challenges and opportunities that people with disabilities face, as well as the history and culture of the disability movement. You can also follow disability activists and organizations on social media and read books and articles by disabled authors. • Use inclusive and respectful language. Words matter and can positively or negatively impact how people with disabilities are perceived and treated. Avoid using outdated or offensive terms, such as "handicapped,” "crippled,” or "special needs.” Instead, use person-first language (e.g., "a person with a disability") or identity-first language (e.g., "a disabled person"), depending on the preference of the individual or group. Also, avoid using disability as a metaphor or a joke, such as "I'm so OCD" or "That's lame.” • Ask before you help. People with disabilities are not helpless or dependent, and they may not need or want your assistance. If you see someone who seems to be struggling, don't assume that they need your help. Instead, ask them politely if they would like help, and respect their answer. If they say yes, follow their instructions on how to assist them best. If they say no, don't insist or take offense. • Be accessible and accommodating. Accessibility is not only a legal requirement but also a way of showing respect and inclusion. If you are hosting an event, inviting someone, or creating content, ensure it is accessible and accommodating for people with different types of disabilities. This may include ramps, elevators, sign language interpreters, captions, transcripts, alternative formats, etc. You can also ask the person with a disability their specific needs and preferences and try to meet them as much as possible. • Amplify disabled voices. People with disabilities are often underrepresented or misrepresented in the media, politics, education, arts, and other spheres of society. As an ally, you can help amplify their voices and perspectives by sharing their stories, supporting their causes, promoting their work, and giving them credit. You can also challenge stereotypes and stigma that may arise in your conversations or interactions with others. Photos from past events over the years![2023-08-01 16_37_55-Editing _Disability Pride Month_ Celebrating Diversity and Empowering Allies_ - .png]Source: 1. Disability Pride Month (americanbar.org) 2. How Disability Pride Month started and what it means (usatoday.com) 3. 7 Disabled Books To Read To Celebrate Disability Pride Month This July - (therollingexplorer.com) 4. 4 Things I Learned From Speaking On UIC’s Disability Pride Panel - (therollingexplorer.com) 5. Disability Pride Month highlights need for accessibility, accomodations - The Daily Tar Heel 6. Long Beach Disability Pride returns for second year - Signal Tribune (sigtrib.com) 7. Celebrating Deaf Pride: Embracing Our Survival in a Mute System | Inter Press Service (ipsnews.net) 8. Study Affirms LGBTQ People are More Likely to Have a Disability than the General Population - AmeriDisability 9. Text - S.Res.719 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): A resolution expressing support for the designation of July 2022 as "Disability Pride Month". | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

On July 26, 2023, we celebrated the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law on July 26, 1990, to ensure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. The ADA is a landmark civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in all areas of public life, including employment, education, transportation, and public accommodations. As a deaf person, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has played a critical role in allowing me to lead a more fulfilling life. The ADA has been instrumental in ensuring I have equal access to opportunities and services often taken for granted by those without disabilities. Without the ADA, I would face countless daily challenges in the workplace, hospitals, and other public places. However, while the ADA has made significant progress in improving the lives of people with disabilities, much work still needs to be done to achieve true equality. For example, many buildings and public spaces remain inaccessible to individuals with disabilities, and workplace discrimination still occurs. Despite the challenges, the ADA represents an essential step forward in protecting the rights of people with disabilities like me. It serves as a symbol of ongoing progress. The ADA must continue to be strengthened and improved to ensure everyone has equal opportunities and access to services, regardless of their abilities. As we look back on these 33 years, we honor the efforts of those who fought for the ADA, and we recommit ourselves to ensuring that it continues to be a beacon of hope and protection for all Americans with disabilities, now and in the future. What does ADA include to protect our rights... The ADA consists of five titles that cover different areas of life: • Title I prohibits discrimination in employment based on disability and requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. • Title II prohibits discrimination by state and local governments in their programs, services, and activities. • Title III prohibits discrimination by public accommodations such as hotels, restaurants, theaters, museums, etc., and requires them to make their facilities accessible and remove barriers. • Title IV requires telecommunications companies to provide relay services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing and requires television broadcasters to provide closed captioning for their programs. • Title V contains miscellaneous provisions such as protection from retaliation, attorney's fees, and technical assistance. The ADA was implemented in stages over the following years, depending on the employer's or facility's size. Employers with 25 or more employees had to follow the employment rules by July 1992, while employers with 15 or more employees had to follow them by July 1994. The rules for public facilities started in January 1992, and the rules for telecommunications started in July 1993. Federal agencies, such as the Department of Justice, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Transportation, and the Federal Communications Commission enforce the ADA. People can also sue those who violate their rights under the ADA. Important and influential Supreme Courts cases on ADA rights.Over time, courts, including the Supreme Court, have applied, and interpreted the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in many cases involving various issues and situations. These cases have helped shape the ADA and its use across the United States. Some of the most important and influential cases include: • Olmstead v. L.C. (1999), where the Supreme Court ruled that people with disabilities have a right to live in community-based settings rather than institutions if appropriate. • Sutton v. United Airlines (1999), where the Supreme Court ruled that people who can mitigate their impairments with corrective measures such as glasses or medication are not considered disabled under the ADA. • Toyota v. Williams (2002), where the Supreme Court ruled that a disability must substantially limit a major life activity central to daily life, not just a specific job. • Tennessee v. Lane (2004), where the Supreme Court ruled that state governments can be sued for violating Title II of the ADA when they deny access to courts for people with disabilities. • Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Garrett (2001), where the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the University, stating that Congress could not remove Eleventh Amendment immunity for such claims. • PGA Tour, Inc. v. Martin (2001), where The Supreme Court ruled for Martin in a 7–2 decision, stating that allowing Martin to use a golf cart would not fundamentally alter the nature of the PGA Tour's tournaments. These cases have provided important guidance and clarification on the scope of the ADA and have helped to ensure that individuals with disabilities are protected from discrimination and are afforded equal opportunities in all aspects of life. ADA has been amended several times…The ADA has been amended several times to clarify or expand its scope and coverage. The most significant amendment was the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008, signed into law by President George W. Bush on September 25, 2008, and went into effect on January 1, 2009. The ADAAA overturned some restrictive Supreme Court decisions and broadened the definition of disability to include more people with impairments that affect major life activities. The ADA has transformed the lives of millions of people with disabilities in the United States and inspired other countries to adopt similar laws. The ADA has increased access and opportunity for people with disabilities in education, employment, health care, transportation, communication, recreation, and civic participation. The ADA has also raised awareness and respect for the dignity and diversity of people with disabilities. As I have said earlier, the ADA is not a perfect law and does not guarantee full equality and inclusion for people with disabilities. There are still many barriers and challenges that people with disabilities face daily, such as discrimination, stigma, poverty, isolation, violence, and lack of services. There is still much work to be done to ensure that the promise and potential of the ADA are fulfilled for all people with disabilities. As a person with a disability, what you should do….If you are a person with a disability who has experienced discrimination or violation of your rights under the ADA, you can take action to protect yourself and seek justice. Here are some steps you can take: • Know your rights. Learn about the ADA and how it applies to your situation. You can find information and resources on the websites of the ADA National Network, the Department of Justice, and other federal agencies that enforce the ADA. • Document the discrimination. Keep a record of what happened, when, where, how, and who was involved. Collect evidence supporting your claim, such as letters, emails, photos, videos, etc. • File a complaint. Depending on the type of discrimination and the entity involved, you can file a complaint with the appropriate federal, state or local agency that enforces similar laws. You can find information on how to file a complaint on the websites of federal agencies or contact them by phone or email. • Seek legal assistance. Suppose you need help with filing a complaint or pursuing a lawsuit. In that case, you can contact a lawyer who specializes in disability rights or a legal aid organization that provides free or low-cost services to people with disabilities. You can find a list of such organizations on the website of the National Disability Rights Network. • Join a community. You are not alone in your struggle for justice and equality. You can connect with other people with disabilities who have similar experiences or interests and share your stories, support, and resources. You can find local, state, or national organizations that advocate for disability rights on the website of the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund. The ADA is a powerful tool that can help you achieve your goals and dreams as a person with a disability. However, it is up to you to use it effectively and assertively. Remember that you have rights and responsibilities under the law and that you have the power to make a difference in your own life and society.

Today is January 8th. It is my first blog entry of 2023. I am trying to commit to writing a couple of blog entries every week. Lately, I am not good at engaging them. I have also lacked motivation and energy. So, for now, I will do a blog entry every week. Then it will increase to two, then do three over time. That is my goal for now. In 2023, I want to read books, books, and books. Likewise, I would like to write, write, and write, like I am doing now. I hope to have a Zero-Email end of the week, but it likely would not happen anyway because there is so much news going on! Furthermore, I want to re-decorate my home throughout 2024. Moreover, I want all of my products to be environmentally friendly in my house. Lastly, I need to finish a project for my friend that I could have completed in 2022! That is a lot of commitment. I hope to keep those commitments in 2023. WISH ME GOOD LUCK! What I do in 2023 will bring me a good year. I have been reading a lot through emails and articles in the last month, and I have so much to say. But, to be honest, I don’t know where I start. I am trying to find the right word to share my random thoughts and what I have learned for the next few blog entries. I thought the ‘Conversation’ word could be a good start to use. It is not precisely the word I am looking for, but I will go with it for now. So it will be my conversation with you about what I have read and learned in the last month. Be warned, some of the words I say may be satirical. I just looked at my bookmark list. There are approx. 75 articles I want to start a conversation with, discuss and express my thoughts about them. Starting this blog entry will be random and disorganized, but I hope to improve my writing content over time. So, please bear with me for the next few entries with a bit of every information to write about. I assure you that the Conversation series entries will be a long read. I have a lot to catch up on. So, I will break it down into several entries for the series. As a long-term goal, I want to write at least 5–10 topics every week, depending on how long an entry it will be, like this entry I am doing now. Here it goes… 🦌 Wildlife Crossings I remembered the first time I read about wildlife crossings, sometime in 2016, perhaps in 2017. I thought it was really cool. We need more on highways, especially the busiest ones, so small and large animals can cross from one land to another. Roadkill is real. There were 1 million vehicle collisions with large animals, primarily deer, on U.S. roads every year. It also involved bears to mountain lions, depending on the locations in the U.S. It usually happens on highways. The wildlife crossings have been around for quite some time, returning to 2015. Highway 93 is formerly known as one of Montana’s most dangerous roads. So the state of Montana put 42 wildlife crossings on that highway. As a result, animal collisions declined by 71%, according to a 2015 study, which means they work very well. Today, 22,000 animals use those 29 crossings annually, camera traps show. Currently, there are 1,000 wildlife crossings in the US’s 4 million-mile road networks. That is not enough. We need more of that. Thanks to Biden’s INVEST in America Act, a 1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, one portion of the Act will spend 350 million on animal-friendly infrastructure, like bridges, underpasses, and roadside fences. It is the largest investment in wildlife crossings in national history. That is excellent progress. But it is not always preventable, unfortunately. It can still happen, especially in the fall or dawn, and dusk. So it is best to slow down during the time of the year and in the nighttime and use high-quality headlight beams if possible. 🐀 Rat ate 500 kilograms of cannabis About one month ago, the rat ate approx. 500 kilograms of cannabis. The India Police seized hundreds of kilograms from drug dealers and stored them in the police warehouse. The rats break in and decide that they are delicious to eat. I couldn’t help wondering if rats would get high and roam around the city. Would they? A 2016 study published in the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience found that tetrahydrocannabinol, the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, made rats lazy. Hmm. There is no proof that rats eat most of them, but they suspected it might be destroyed by rain or flooding. But I still think it is funny if rats could be guilty as charged for eating so much… 🐻 …while rats get lazy after eating cannabis, a bear ate cocaine… In the fall of 1985, Andrew Thornton was a former narcotics officer and lawyer who later became a drug smuggler in Kentucky. One fall day, he was smuggling 70 pounds (31.75 kilograms) of cocaine from Colombia, then they had to dump packages of cocaine off near Blairsville, Georgia, GA. Thornton became caught in his parachute and fell free to the ground. His body was found in the driveway of Knoxville, TN. The plane crashed over 60 miles (96.56 kilometers) away in Hayesville, NC. Three months later, a 175-pound American black bear, known as Cocaine Bear, also known as Pablo Eskobear, was found dead in the mountains of Fannin County, GA, just south of the Tennessee border. The state’s chief examiner said that the bear consumed about 3–4 grams of the packages of cocaine found earlier, and he believed that it died of an overdose. Now they are making a movie about Cocaine Bear, directed by Elizabeth Banks. It will come out on February 24th. They just released a trailer last month. I will check it out when it comes out…it would be a lore and cheesy movie. But, be assured that the Cocaine Bear real story is less blood… 🥓 How to cook a crispier, better bacon I love bacon! It is one of my favorite foods in the world. I bet bacon is the best food out there in the universe as well. No way, it can beat the bacon, right? 😁 I always like my bacon strips neat & crispy, with less burn and nice browning. That is my preference. I always cook in a big skillet pan and cook the bacon strip neatly and flat as much as possible until it is brown evenly. Then I would flip it over and continue cooking until it is brown. Lastly, I would move them on the paper towel paper on a plate, cool them off, and eat! That is the easy and quick way, and it is neat and crispy, the way I like them. If you want crispier & better bacon, you would have to add flour to bacon strips. You may be baffled, ‘Flour, huh?’. Yeah. Someone at Bon Appetit has a pro tip on how to make crispier and better bacon using flour. It would be best if you dipped bacon strips (2-3 per person) in a medium bowl of flour to coat thoroughly. You then shake off loose flour and lay them on a parchment paper-lined pan in a single layer. After that, you can add more layers; all you have is to lay parchment between each layer, cover the pan with beeswax wrap or a final layer of parchment, and refrigerate overnight. Then in the morning, you preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake the bacon uncovered in a single layer (not stacked) on the parchment-lined sheet pan(s). When the bacon starts to brown, about 5 minutes, use tongs to flop the slices over, and continue cooking until the brown is evenly browned and crispy, about 10 minutes total. Then, move the cooked bacon to a paper-towel-line plate to drain briefly using tongs. Serve warm. I have got to try this one day and see how it turns out. ✈️ TSA use of Facial Recognition As you know, there may be controversy about using facial recognition in public places sometime in the future. TSA is doing 16 major domestic airports to test facial recognition tech to verify ID, and it could go nationwide sometime in 2023. They were already quietly testing that tech for passenger screening in domestic airports from Washington to Los Angeles. I don’t mind using facial recognition if that would accelerate the process, as long as it is secured and efficient. So I would support that tech. I have been using the facial recognition tech on my phone, tablet, and laptop, and it is effective and faster to unlock them. When I was traveling to the US from Brazil and went through the US custom, they did use the photo recognition tech and took a picture of me to make sure it was actually me. And it was effortless and fast, and I got out of the US Custom in less than 20 minutes. Well, it included surveys and questions about my travels, which I had to answer during the process. So, it will work much faster during passenger screenings at the line when they install them at more airports. Recently, San Francisco banned facial recognition technology in their city. However, all surveillance equipment must be approved by city leaders before they can install in the city. Oakland, CA, and Somerville, MA, already have introduction bans similar to San Francisco’s. And there may be more cities following suit, and getting that tech out to more places will be more challenging. You don’t have to participle in facial recognition at an airport. Will it be a real choice when it comes to that shortly? ______________________________________________________________________________ I will stop this for now and will continue writing the next ‘Conversation‘ series entry shortly. So be looking out for new entries soon. Have a Happy New Year!

I just received the book in the mail today.  I was reading a few pages of 'Old Christmas' by Washington Irving in 1819-1820. There are five short stories in the book. I want to read it during the Christmas weekend, which should be fun, considering it was a completely different Christmas at that time. 1. Christmas, which reflects on the meaning of it and the ceremonies and festivities that attend it. 2. The Stage Coach, Crayon, meets an old friend while the coach is stopped at a small village, who invites him to spend Christmas Eve with him. 3. Christmas Eve, followed by Irving's experience at Christmas Eve at the house. 4. Christmas Day, followed by Irving's experience at Christmas Day at the house. 5. Christmas Dinner, Irving described the dinner's sumptuous banquet and joyful family time. I like the quote he wrote: “"The song of the bird, the murmur of the stream, the breathing fragrance of spring, the soft voluptuousness of summer, the golden pomp of autumn; earth with its mantle of refreshing green, and heaven with its deep delicious blue and its cloudy magnificence, all fill us with mute but exquisite delight, we revel in the luxury of more sensation."” Who is Washington Irving? Washington Irving was born in 1783 and was brought up in Manhattan, NY. He was the last of 11 children; only eight survived through adulthood. Washington was an essayist, short-story writer, biographer, and historian. He was also a diplomat, serving as American ambassador to Spain in the 1840s. He had been to Sleepy Hollow, New York, where there were its old dutch traditions and stories of ghostly occurrences. Hence he wrote a short story, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." When he was a teenager, Hudson and the Catskill Mountains bewitched his boyish imagination, inspired by a short story he wrote, "Rip Van Winkle." Lastly, he completed the Five-Volumes biography of George Washington eight months before his death at the age of 76. Fun fact: Washington gave New York City the nickname "Gotham" in its 17th issue of the literary magazine Salmagundi, which lampooned New York culture and politics (and satirical), similar to 20th-century Mad magazine, dated November 11, 1807. Gotham means “Goat’s Town” or “City of the Goats” in Anglo-Saxon, considering a country of madmen. I will write a review of this book. FYI, I am not a good book reviewer. But I will try my best! 

⚠️️ Be warned, I am not good with secrets, and it may have spoiler alerts. ⚠️ ⭐ The rating will be anywhere between 1 and 5 stars. ⭐ 🔻1899 I watched the TV series on November 25th. When I found out a few months ago that they would be doing Wednesday TV series directed by Tim Burton. I was excited about that, and I had waited forever for this.  It came to Netflix on November 23, 2022. I have seen a couple of Addam Family movies and TV shows.  They are all good. I had to sit down and watch the whole series all day! Every episode got better and better. I love detective work. It made me curious about who did it and why they did it. She pointed to the wrong person every time for the work of the mastermind. It was exhausting, but she kept digging further and kept going.  She did not give up. I like her! The best part about the whole TV series is her dancing at the dancing event!  She was good at it! Her dancing was a homage to 1980s Halloween bops and goth goodness, especially from Michael Jackson’s Thriller video music. [wednedaythriller.jpg]Did you know that Wednesday loved to dance when she was young? It was a gif photo from Addam Family, a TV series from 1964-1966. [Wednesday-Addams-Gettin-Down.gif]Now, Wednesday has suppressed Stranger Things, Season 4, as the most-watched English-language series (🔒) in a week on Netflix. [glasp_highlight_image_1.png]I hear that Season 2 may be coming.  Oh, I hope it is true.  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I am currently reading a book called ‘Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism,’ an updated and expanded edition by Barry M, Prizant, Ph.D.  Here is the description of the book from Amazon: “Autism therapy typically focuses on ridding individuals of “autistic” symptoms such as difficulties interacting socially, communication problems, sensory challenges, and repetitive behavior patterns. Now, this updated and expanded edition of Dr. Barry M. Prizant’s Uniquely Human tackles new language, such as shifting from “person-first language” to “identity-first language,” diversity of identity in the autism sphere, and the future of autistic advocacy by amplifying the voices of autistic and neurodivergent individuals.” ““A groundbreaking book on autism by one of the world’s leading experts, who portrays autism as a unique way of being human—this is “required reading…Breathtakingly simple and profoundly positive” (Chicago Tribune)” My friend, the founder of the Organization of Unique Learners (OUL), asks me to write content on autism spectrum disorder.  But I do not know much about the autism spectrum. So I told him I could help learn more about it and collect information about what I know before I start writing the content on his OUL website. So here I am, reading this book. So far, I have been reading three chapters from Uniquely Human. I have learned a great deal about Autism from those chapters, and I have begun to understand Autism a bit better and what it is like to have a spectrum of Autism. I will continue reading and learning about it. This will be a lifelong lesson for me because autism on the spectrum always has new perspectives and developments, and we should continue learning about it daily. Whatever we have learned about it in the past and present, we were most likely wrong about many things, and we should not think such as stereotypes and myths. There is so much more that we do not know about it. Autistic people may not have a strong voice, but we should be patient and kind and learn through their journey as autistic people. I look forward to hearing more stories and perspectives from autistic people. Now, some of you may ask what Autism spectrum disorder or ASD is. ASD is “a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. People with ASD often have problems with social communication and interaction and restricted or repetitive behaviors or interests. People with ASD may also have different ways of learning, moving, or paying attention. It is important to note that some people without ASD might also have some of these symptoms. But for people with ASD, these characteristics can make life very challenging.” There are classic characteristics of autism, like those listed in the definition above, and also, having a tendency to obsess over a specific item or place, over and over again. I will be talking about obsession. It is one of the most misconceptions and misunderstood behaviors in Autism. I finished reading chapter 3 about Enthusiasm last weekend, and I had time to think about it thoroughly this week, and I am ready to write what I know and feel so far. An autistic person would be excited or fascinated and be focused by anything, like prime numbers, clouds, carwash, or street lamps.  One thing that intrigued me while reading that chapter mentioned one autistic person who has enthusiasm is women’s ankles. I know it is odd and weird. But he would want to look closely at, touch, and explore them.  That fascinated him. You might think he might have a serious issue or say he is crazy. Unfortunately, it is awkward, but that is his enthusiasm and it fascinated him.  Of course, he would need to ask them for permission before proceeding. So, people would think that they are overly obsessing over those things when they may look ridiculous and do not know what to do about it, and they may feel annoyed, frustrated, or maybe embarrassed.  Clara Claiborne Park was invited to speak at an autism fundraising conference.  She was an English professor at Williams College and the mother of Jessy Park, a gifted autistic painter.  Clara and her husband were pioneers in the autism world. She and her husband were among the founders of the National Society for Autistic Children, the first advocacy organization of its type in the 1960s. Also, Clara wrote a book called ‘The Siege.’ One person asked Clara, “I am curious about your daughter’s obsessions. How have you dealt with them?” “Obsessions,” Clara repeated, contemplating the question for a moment. “We’ve always thought of them as enthusiasms” (this was quoted in Uniquely Human book). You may think, enthusiasms? How can they be excited about something? What is so special about carwashes, clouds, or street lamps? We may not yet fully understand a person with autism on the spectrum and their intention to do this way. We should understand and figure out what and why an autistic person does that or this since not all of them can speak or sign. Their mind is entirely different from how we think or see. We should cave into their world to see what they see and feel. Also, we should learn their behavior and tendencies; because sometimes, they would try to communicate with you about things through things or places, point to something, say a safe code word, or want you to do something for them, so they can be consistent in their mind and enjoy whatever they are doing. Why do they develop enthusiasm? Focusing on one topic gives them a sense of control, predictability, and security in a world that can be unpredictable and scary. Also, to put it that way, think of it as hobbies, passions, and collections. Everyone has their hobby, right? I have a couple of hobbies and passions: photography, LEGO, and books.  I love photography, building Lego sets, and reading fiction books, specifically Sci-Fi, Young Adult, and Fantasy. I can post too many photos at once, buy too many Lego sets that have not been built, or buy too many books sitting on the bookshelf waiting to be read. But they make me happy, knowing I will do such things when I am ready to do them. So, a short answer: I am not obsessive, but even better, I have enthusiasm. Now, an autistic person will find it challenging to deal with many things that they are not used to in their life. They cannot stand places or things that are noisy, or lights are too bright, and it would make or cause them to act crazy and would run back and forth and make so much noise until they get what they want.  They will find things that will soothe them. That is where enthusiasm comes in.  They discover a specific something or things that fascinate them, and they will immerse themselves in details and information, whatever they may find. Enthusiasm would also help them a lot in the classroom or at home; if they start to act erratically, we should provide something specific, like an item, photo, or a book that they like, to help to soothe them and be calm to a few minutes. So, for example, if an autistic person loves whales, give them anything with whales on it; they will be in peace and be glad and move forward. So, I have read many stories about their enthusiasm; some are interesting and weird things mentioned in this chapter. But if that is what makes them happy and content with whatever they do. They would be genuinely themselves. Let it be. There is a story about one person with autism spectrum who has enthusiasm for carwashes. I call him Alexander. When his father took the family car for occasional cleaning, Alexander was at first frightened when he heard those sounds, like the splashing water, the brushes, and the sight of the vehicle making its way through.  But, then, he was fascinated by them. As you know, most autistic people are susceptible to sounds (and lights). So it was natural for Alexander to be frightened and alerted. Then he begged his parents to return to the carwashes, so he could watch and listen as it excited him. That is his enthusiasm. He did not explain why, and his parents did not understand why. Then the carwash owner befriended the family as they came to the carwash place repeatedly. Oh, it was his happy place.  The owner let him stay and help out the entrance by waving his arms to direct drivers into the wash.  Then when they travel, Alexander would explore carwashes and ask them to stop each of them, so they plan their trip accordingly to visit them from Florida to Maine. When Alexander was 10, his parents contacted the International Carwash Association to request brochures they thought he would enjoy.  His parents were surprised that he was invited as a guest to go to the three-day convention.  It made his dream vacation come true. He could barely sleep. Lastly, throughout adulthood, he continues going to carwashes. His father called him the King of Carwashes. That is a great story, right? Yeah, I agree. There are other stories in this chapter 3. I might do stories of people on the autism spectrum and their enthusiasm as I find them in the future. Oh, one more thing, an autistic person could talk nonstop about a specific item or place for hours for no reason. So when they do that, you can let them know that they can talk about it continually at a specific time or place.  They will do it if you ask them nicely. Oh, yes, that reminds me of one TV show I still need to finish. The TV show is called: Extraordinary Attorney Woo.  Woo Young-Yoo has autism on the spectrum, and yes, she is a lawyer.  Her enthusiasm is Whales.  She LOVES talking about whales. She would love to talk about whales for an hour with her very handsome associate. He gave her permission to talk about it during lunch break. He was very patient, and he listened for the whole hour. I give him that!  It was a good show, and I learned a few things about autism on the spectrum. You should check it out sometime. Speaking of this TV show, I should be heading out and watching an episode or two!

♻️ Desk with 10,000 Recycled Chopsticks  A German engineer named Felix Böock came up with an idea for used chopsticks 5 years ago.  This idea popped up when he and his girlfriend were having dinner at a sushi restaurant in Vancouver, Canada.  Most chopsticks are made of Bamboo, a fast-growing that is very strong.   In the last 60 years, wood needed increased by 60 percent in the world. Bamboo has often been considered an alternative to wood.  So, he built a business called ChopValue and he provided recycling bins to restaurants and promised that he would come back to fetch the used chopsticks.  He and his employees collected 330,000 chopsticks from the restaurants every week.  His company build shelves, desks, wall panels, stairs, and more.  For a desk to be built, he needs about 10,000 chopsticks.  The design is beautiful.  Maybe, one day I will buy one of their products for my home.   Link: https://reasonstobecheerful.world/recycled-chopsticks-sustainable-furniture/   💕 One man turned nursing home design on its head when he created this stunning facility  [Image] Jean Makesh, who is a CEO of Lantern assisted living facilities.  He met folks with stories that helped inspired him to create a comfortable zone at the Lantern.  He built three nursing homes into 1940s paradise to help residents with Dementia or Alzheimer. Some elderly people do forget what they do every day and still think that they need to do something every day, but it is not there anymore, so he made their lives a little easier.  Their nursing homes look great!   Link: https://www.upworthy.com/one-man-turned-nursing-home-design-on-its-head-when-he-created-this-stunning-facility-rp  Link: https://www.inspiremore.com/jean-makesh-nursing-home/  🦖 Be beware of this T-Rex in the desert, especially in the nighttime. [Image] Link: https://twitter.com/jonslater37/status/1579399741481562114  🧀 A Small Canadian Town Is Now the Home of a 17-foot-tall Cheeto Statue  Cheadle, a town of around 100 people, about 30 minutes east of Calgary in Alberta, Canada.  There is a 17-foot-tall statue of a set of Cheeto-dusted fingertips. This large monument was placed b PepsiCo Canada.  This statue is known as Cheetle.  "Cheetos fans have always known that the delicious, cheesy dust on their fingertips is an unmistakably delicious part of the Cheetos experience, but now it officially has a name: Cheetle," Lisa Allie, the Senior Marketing Director for PepsiCo Foods Canada, said in a statement. I would love to see this statue. It looks cool.    [Photo: Flatback] Link: https://www.foodandwine.com/news/cheetos-statue-cheadle-alberta-canada    ⭐ 51 Wonderful Words with No English Equivalent I love to learn new words every day if I can.  I found a website with a list of 50 wonderful words with no English Equivalent.  I might be using some of those words in my entries one day!  I would have to have my loved one to cafunés my hair one evening to ease my stress. (Brazilian Portuguese)  Oh, I would love to wake up after a bilita mpash. That would make my night happy! (Bantu)   I crave for fernweh (also another link) to get away from the city and wander around in the unknown. (German)  My friend had this honigkuchenpferd expression sometimes and it was nice to see him be this way. He was sure a cheerful person. (German)  It would be nice to get hygge with my close friends nearby right now. (Denmark)   Link: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/50698/38-wonderful-foreign-words-we-could-use-english 

Can you believe that a little restaurant in a tiny town, Seligman, Arizona, with only a population of 456 has a list of 266 varieties of Milkshakes? Seligman Arizona is on the historic Route 66. The restaurant is called Delgadillio’s Snow Cap. Last September, it set the Guinness World Record for “Largest Display of Milkshakes Varieties” by listing 266 different milkshake favors! They can whip up 266 flavors over about 75 minutes! WOW! [Delagillo's Snow Cap, Seligman Arizona, on the historic Route 66]I grew up in Elkhorn City, Kentucky, home to the best whitewater rafting, which can pump up to class V rapids in the stunning 1,600-foot Breaks Gorge section, also known as the “Grand Canyon of the South.” The Breaks Interstate Park laid the Kentucky and Virginia lands about five miles east of the town. It has only a population of 982. My family and I used to go to a little restaurant where they made the best milkshakes, but it only had at least three, Chocolate, Strawberry, and Vanilla, then. I always chose Chocolate every time! But, dang, this small town beats my hometown with 266 flavors! I am sure I need help choosing which flavor I would want to try! I wanted to check the list of 266 flavors. Some were odd and weird, for example, Orange, Chorizo, Chocolate Chip, and Chicken Nuggets; Strawberry, Hamburger, and Oreo; Root Beer; Cherry, Onion Coffee, and Sweet Potato Fry. Who would want to eat them? Unless they have a secret ingredient that makes them taste so GOOD?!?! Wow, I can see why they get creative with their milkshake! I doubt I would try those weird milkshakes. I will try Oreo Bacon, Mocha Bacon, Banana Bacon, Mocha Rootbeer, or Strawberry Tea milkshake if I visit this place. (Yeah, I know–bacon, bacon, bacon. Well, I love bacon!) Links: ☞ https://www.foodandwine.com/news/world-record-milkshake-menu-delgadillos-snow-cap ☞ https://www.yelp.com/biz/delgadillos-snow-cap-drive-in-seligman ☞ https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/713628-largest-display-of-milkshake-varieties

As you know, we have been busy with our lives. We work. We watch TV. We browse on our phones. We read a book or newspaper. Then at the end of the day, our eyes may be worn out by screens/reading all day! I work in front of the computer dealing with data entry, reporting, auditing, and proofreading for 8 hours daily. I try to keep up with news, social media, RSS feeds, and emails periodically throughout the day and read a book for at least 30 minutes. It can be exhausting. There are other things I want to do other than working and reading. I want to do blogging, and novel reading like I used to back in the late 1990s and 2000s. Technology and the internet have boomed fast since it started in 1997. Now, I have 22,771 unread emails. I have 638 RSS feeds and counting as I am typing. God knows how many posts I may have yet to read on Twitter, Facebook, Mastodon, and Tribel. I am sure hundreds are waiting for me to read by now. There is so much news happening worldwide, and I couldn’t read it all. I also have over 130 articles that I want to write a blog about. Lastly, I have over twenty books waiting to be read! It is hard to keep up with everything these days. Everyone knows that we have 24 hours a day. We sleep an average of 7–8 hours a night. Most of us are working 8 hours a day. We take a break from work for 30 minutes to an hour a day. According to Our World in Data, Americans spend 63 minutes eating and drinking. So, that would leave us around 6–8 hours to spend our free time doing something we enjoy. We would prioritize the free time for 6 hours of our time. Some people would find time to exercise. Some people would find time to read a book or/and watch a TV show or a movie in the evening. But, after a long day of working and reading tons of articles throughout the day, my ideal evening would be just sitting on the couch and watching some TV show or movie without overthinking! But I want to do it differently in my evenings. I missed the old days when there was no internet or phones; I spent more time reading books. I missed that. Since then, I have been too tired to read a book. Not because I do not want to, but because my eyes are exhausted after staring at the screen 8–10 hours a day! I learned a bit more about the 5-Hour Rule. Michael Simmons, the founder of “Empact,” first coined the 5-hour rule, though Benjamin Franklin might have started this idea how he did in his time. He was a busy man in his time. Benjamin said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” His golden rule guided him to a prosperous entrepreneurial career, resulting in several innovations to his glory. In short, this is the rule that we spend one hour a day learning, experimenting, and reflecting. That means five times a week doing all that will help you become a better person, know what is happening worldwide, and make the world a better place. Most famous people like Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Oprah Winfrey practice this rule, and what makes them successful today. I am jealous that Bill Gates reads fifty books a year! He created Microsoft, and he is now a philanthropist and owns a foundation. I am sure he is busy, yet he was available to read those books. There it goes; the 5-hour helped him accomplish what he wanted and needed to do. This 5-hour rule may not apply to me because I am not an owner or entrepreneur, successful or rich like Bill Gates or Elon Musk. I am not trying to be successful or rich. However, this is something that I can do to help me be productive, and I want to start reading a bit more often. I am talking about books; besides books, I have always been reading everywhere, and on every site, I visited. I also want to write them in my blog, which will help me reflect on what I have read. Doing that will be a lot, especially writing and editing, but I should be more proactive. I hope that will help me accomplish the goal. Today, with technology, there are many ways to speed up reading and learning. There are podcasts, audiobooks, and spoken radio. That is beneficial for many people, but to me, not so much. See, you might not know me, but I am Deaf. I envy them because they can easily sit, close their eyes, and listen to them with headphones. I had to get up and get a book, laptop, phone, or tablet and sit down and read them. They can be heavy to hold for an hour if I lay on the couch. BTW, using a laptop may be uncomfortable. It will exhaust my eyes quickly, especially with the bright light on devices. But I am glad that most of them can turn on to dark mode; it is necessary. There is one great tool I use when there is a long article; you would want to know what they talk about before you read it. It is called Summari. It will summarize important parts that you need to know from that article. I find that helpful. It would help me understand better while reading it. It works on Chrome. It even has its app on iOS. You should try it sometimes. I will start reading a book for at least 30 minutes every night since I haven’t read many books lately. On the other hand, I can keep up with email, RSS feeds, and social media well, but I will only be able to read some of them, unfortunately! But I try to keep up with most things happening worldwide. I will start reading a few articles for an hour, then dwell on them for a bit, and then start reflecting on my thoughts on my blog. My goal is to write at least three blog entries a week. It will be a bit challenging for me, considering all the things I have done throughout the day, because I may be exhausted, and my eyes may be tired from reading/or working too much. Not to mention that I get sinus headaches from time to time, which is not fun! Speaking of books, I am currently reading Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism by Barry M. Prizant. I am helping my friend try to build his organization, the Organization of Unique Learners for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community. It is currently a work of progress. I am the Webmaster of this website. Anyway, he asked me to write about Autism, which I know a little about. So here I am, reading this book, and I have learned quite a lot about it. I look forward to writing about it and posting it on the blog about what Autism is all about! Not only this book above, but I am also trying to finish the books, The Book Eaters and The Wild Robot. Link: ☛ https://themakingofamillionaire.com/the-5-hour-rule-practiced-by-bill-gates-elon-musk-and-jack-ma-647e82270708 ☛ https://bigthink.com/smart-skills/5-hour-rule/