Review: Harlem Shuffle

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received an a Kindle ARC of this book and it also happened to be my book of the month pick for October 2021.

I picked this book because of all the buzz around this author's work. I really want to read The Underground Railroad, but this was the first book I got my hands on.

My expectations for this book were really high, but I could not get into this book at all. I stuck with it hoping it would pick up, but the pace was very slow. The story itself was okay, but we are told about events that happened rather than being part of what happened (if that makes sense). This book is definitely not a page turner; it took nearly three months to get myself through it. It was very easy to put down.

Even though I was rather disappointed with this book, I am still going to read The Underground Railroad as soon as I get my hands on it!

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Review: My Heart Is a Chainsaw

My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received a Kindle ARC from NetGalley.

This book took me over 6 months to get through. Unfortunately, this book is extremely boring for the first 75% of the book. It finally gets better then just ends.

I am going to give the next book a chance because it does sound good.

If you love horror movies, this book is for you.

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The Daily Stoic - January 24 - Deep Understanding

Do not settle for basic understanding. Get a deep understanding of the topic at hand. Do not take anything at face value. Always do the work and delve deeper.

The journal question:

Am I doing deep work?

As superficial as it sounds, I find am always doing work particularly at work. With my job, it is not enough to have a basic understanding. I have to be able to explain methods to people (the public) and dumb down complicated methods into an easy understandable way. 

Outside of work, there are occasions when a topic piques my interest enough that I will go through an obsessive phase with it. Once I understand it and/or get bored with it, I move on. Most of the time, I take those lessons with me and others not so much.

The Daily Stoic - January 23 - Money

Money does not make problems disappear the way people believe it will. "External things cannot fix internal things."

The journal question:

Which of my possessions own me?

Books (and the cat, but she's not a possession). 

The Daily Stoic - January 22 - Review

This is another encouragement to journal daily. This time we are asked to reflect on the previous day's events (or it could be that day's events if you are journaling before bed). Journal your reactions to events throughout the day. What things could be improved upon? What went well? This is a personal assessment, so you need to be brutally honest with yourself. How else would you make changes if you cannot acknowledge the issues? 

The journal question:

What bad habit did I curb today?

Actually, this is a timely question. I have an underlying medical condition that has forced me to eat little food and careful with what I am able to eat. I cannot eat full portions of food in one sitting anymore. I tested positive for COVID mid-November; it was a mild case. One of my symptoms was a lack of appetite. My already small portions of food became non-existent. Knowing I needed to eat something, I forced myself to eat every now and again, but I still as not eating anywhere near enough. When I tried eating, I was full after two bites with some foods, so I was looking for anything at all that my body would let me keep eating more than two bites of. Unfortunately, this meant reverting back to old eating habits (lots of sugary items, junk food, etc.). Last night before bed and when I got up today, I told myself I was going to get back on track on with my specialized diet. Two months after COVID and I am only now feeling as if I am back to normal with the underlying medical condition, so getting back on track is more important than ever.

The Daily Stoic - January 21 - Journaling

This meditation encourages a morning ritual of journaling, but really it can be done any time. The idea is to carve out the time to be quiet and alone for yourself. The list of questions was offered by Epictetus's writings:

What am I lacking in attaining freedom from passion?

What for tranquility?

 What am I? A mere body, estate-holder, or reputation? None of these things.

What, then? A rational being.

What then is demanded of me? Meditate on your actions.

How did I steer away from serenity?

What did I do that was unfriendly, unsocial, or uncaring?

What did I fail to do in all these things?

The authors encourage us to journal these questions each day, but we are not limited to this list. Again, the idea is quiet, alone time for ourselves.

The journal question:

What am I getting out of my journaling ritual?

So far, my journaling ritual has been about 3 weeks (when I started The Daily Stoic). I am starting to see these principles everywhere. I even start thinking about these things during the day as the work day progresses. I find it's bringing me some peace. I typically do these reflections at night before bed followed by a guided meditation (or ASMR) from YouTube. I am sleeping better.

The Daily Stoic - January 20 - Reignition

This meditation reminds us that we can reignite our thoughts whenever we want. Nothing needs to precipitate this ability to get back onto your path.

The journal question: 

How can I rekindle my principles and start living today?

Rekindle? I am only just starting!