David > Recent Status Updates

Some tough puzzles (at least for me) in the recent ones - TV stars of recent years and similar celebs are tough anymore!

This chapter talks about moving the fulcrum - how to get more leverage in your life.

So far some interesting references to studies about being happy and its effect on our performance and ultimate success. And of course he has some interesting anecdotes!

Always amused by the creative themes, like 'fi upon it' inserting 'fi' in a phrase, or changing the last letter of familiar phrases ('the Kingston trip' instead of trio, e.g.). So I still have about 40 of these puzzles yet to do, which might mean I could finish in 2019? And I have the NYT puzzles L&E gave me last year I should work on, too...so much good stuff to exercise 'ze little gray cells'!

OK I finished the rest of the book in a speed-reading session. I think I can acknowledge that it's her book and she has to give her advice how it makes sense to her and also say that she attributes a lot to a god that I wouldn't and don't. She has certainly lived through some tough times, with her discovering her bro's suicide when she was a teen very high on the list if not at the top.

Still more info about chunking information, planning, memory techniques (e.g. visualization, songs, sayings like 'king Philip cut out five green snakes', etc.).

More lies covered: I'm bad at sex; I don't know how to be a mom (and for me, I have to say that is pretty true).

Seems like lots of practical advice that should be relatively easy to apply (although most likely not easy to do in all situations). Overcoming procrastination with positive habits seems a great idea even if it's not very sexy, and there are some very concrete steps described.

More lies covered: No is the final answer (ie if you hear 'no' on your dream, find an alternate path and carry on); Loving him (or her I hope) is enough for me (don't lose yourself to fit with someone else); I'm better than you (why do we rip on each other when we don't know each other's story? when we might be doing the same things ourselves - thinking of Brene' here).

Describing focused vs. diffuse thinking patterns and how we need both. Thinking of Beethoven and his walks in the woods while composing.

So many trivia bits thrown in here about rodents and landscaping and South American adventures gone wrong and shipwrecks destroying years of specimen gathering and whatever else is crammed in here. Kind of an understandable romp for me, who tens to have thoughts randomly connected anyway, but when listening for small periods it can be easy to lose the thread of what's being conveyed.

Enjoying the casual style and the culture references I catch (e.g. I can feel it like in that Phil Collins song, etc.).
It's a hard but believable message that if someone is unhappy, that's on them, at least when it is footnoted with the exceptions of depression or grieving over loss (in a way that is temporary).
Lies so far: Something else will make me happy; I'll start tomorrow; I'm not good enough.

At least part will be about choosing your reality. At least he says that's _not_ just fantasizing that things are other than how they are. We'll see.

Still amused by all the creative puzzle themes, like 'k too' that took familiar phrases and added a k to modify them (eg 'sin city' to 'skin city').

Good examples of the differences between correlation and causation (political in nature).