5 Quick Things #341 š
reading for pleasure, charitable disagreements, autumn leaves, & chocolate
Hey there,
Iām writing this from a desk in the library on my daughterās college campus, a thousand miles away from the coffee shop where I usually write this from. My older son and I are here for a college visit, a quick work thing for me, and of course, to visit Tate, and itās been delightful! Cafeteria food aside, the trees are vivid oranges and reds, Iām wearing long sleeves un-ironically, and I get to talk to my oldest kiddo face-to-face. Itās been a good week.
I donāt have much time here and thereās lots on my plate, so Iāll move right along! Three cheers for autumn college visits at just the right time.
5 Quick Things āļø
1. New episode of A Drink With a Friend! Iām chatting with my friend Chloe Langr, mom of three little ones and host of the podcast Letters to Women. We talk about homeschooling (sheās a first-generation!), finding time to read, book clubs, leaning in to our vocations, and more. It was an encouraging chat! Sheās always a delight.
2.Ā I wanted to read on the flight up here āĀ my past few flights Iāve either gotten work done or pathetically tried to sleep, but there was something about the simplicity of a good novel on a plane that called out to me. I found a murder mystery on my Kindle; I donāt remember how it got there āĀ probably some freebie I snagged at some point, and decided just to go with it. Itās not literature, there are more f-bombs than I prefer, and it was perfectly apolitical until three-fourths of the way through when a random preachy paragraph made me roll my eyes, but itās still been fun to get lost in a good novel that reads like a three-part miniseries. Iām not gonna mention the title because it doesnāt really matter to my point here, but reading it has been a good reminder that I need to continually read fiction. Iāve been in a bit of a reading-for-pleasure rut since school began, and it was nice to get back into it, even for a flight. (Hopefully Iāll find out what happened to the bad guyās meth lab on the return flight home.)
3. I had a two-hour drive from Steubenville to Columbus yesterday, and while the otherworldly trees flashed their oranges and yellows as I ambled by, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this conversation. Even though I disagree with Andrew Klavan theologically, it was a charitable conversation, and he has tons of wisdom to glean from about writing fiction, staying creative in dry seasons, and playing the long game as a writer. Good stuff.
4. About twelve years ago I wrote a piece about the chocolate industry on my old blog (my kids were two, four, and seven then!) and every year since, traffic on it spikes during the month of October. Some links to resources are probably dated by now, but last I checked, the info in it is still more-or-less accurate. Youāve still got time to buy better ethically-sourced Halloween treats, if youād like to read up on stuff.
5. And finallyā¦ You all know
and I go way back as friends (at least in internet years)āprobably fourteen by now (ā¦maybe more?). Heās a good friend and all-around mensch, and heās also one of my favorite living writers. His latest essay, simple as is it, is a testament to that. Good stuff, pal.
Currently Reading, Watching, Listening š»
The accompanying playlist to my First Light & Eventide journalā¦a good pick-me-up as we enter the season of intentional gratitude
Quotable š¬
āAt no other time than autumn does the earth let itself be inhaled in one smell, the ripe earth; in a smell that is in no way inferior to the smell of the sea, bitter where it borders on taste, and more honeysweet where you feel it touching the first sounds. Containing depth within itself, darkness, something of the grave almost.ā
ā Rainer Maria Rilke
Rhine River: Summer 2025 āļø
Join us next summer as we float down the Rhine River from Amsterdam to Zurich in our own boat āĀ Iād love to have you on board!
Whatās your opinion on camping? šļø
For me, last weekās companion question on fishing holds a different answer than this weekās on camping. Itās one of my favorite things to do, especially in the springs and autumns of central Texas, when morningās temps promise hope for the rest of the day and waters are still swimmable. Itās one of my favorite simple pleasures where we live, and Iām grateful for it.
I see Iām in the minority here. ā¦Oh well.
I enjoy it, but I don't do it much: 59.1%
I went camping once... it was meh: 14.7%
I would rather do literally anything else: 14.2%
I get out to the woods as much as I can: 12.1%
Find next weekās poll here.
Quick Links š
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Question(s) For You to Ponderā¦ š¤
In light of Halloween this week, as well as All Saints and All Souls Days next weekend, whatās one small way you can better memento mori this weekend?
Have a great weekend,
- Tsh
p.s. - The correct form of Calvinism.
p.p.s. - In case youāre in the market for some earbuds, these are my favorite and theyāre currently on sale. Just an FYI!
How do you disagree with Andrew Klavan theologically? I recently discovered his Substack, "The New Jerusalem," and haven't seen anything problematic, but maybe I'm not looking closely enough.