5 Quick Things #428 🍂

social capital, the real value of books, partial solutions, & mustard

Oct 02, 2026

Last weekend I added wallpaper to the smallest wall in my new office-library, and even with a sizable portion of said wall being overtaken by a set of French doors, it was still so much work and I’m not sure if I want to ever do wallpaper again. Perhaps it’s because the pattern is rather complicated, but it was a somewhat purgatorial experience, one fit for testing the bones of your marriage, I’ll tell you. I’m happy with the results and I’m glad I went through the pain, but still... wallpaper, man.

And on a bright note: today’s high is 78 degrees here in Central Texas! I didn’t know weather could go below the 90s... I have no recent first-hand memory of what that’s like here.

*Syksyä ilmassa*, by Alma Charlotta Judén (1854-1914) #

5 Quick Things ☕️

1. A new episode of A Drink With a Friend! When you can’t do the ideal, but you can still do something, what’s the good-enough version? That’s called a partial solution. Sounds simple, but it’s hard to enact. We have an ideal in our head, and when we can’t have that, we tend to throw everything out the window and do nothing. But we live in a broken world and can almost never fully achieve that perfect ideal this side of heaven. So what should we do? Embrace the done > perfect (and yes, this episode embodies this very idea, which I explain therein). (And a friendly remind to subscribe to the show, so you won’t miss an episode.)
2. As an avid reader, a semi-avid writer with another book on the way, and someone fascinated by (if not a little weary of) all the AI talk these days, I really appreciated Joel J Miller’s recent nuanced piece on why—and how—books ~~will~~ should never die: “A good book creates an immersive, extended encounter with a consciousness other than our own. ...The quality of the encounter depends not only on who the author is but on what they do with the content. ...The book’s apparent inefficiency creates part of the experience, part of the encounter. It doesn’t detract from its value; it’s a key aspect of the unique value proposition.”
3. October is truly an excellent month of feast days. Yesterday’s was St. Thérèse of Lisieux, today’s is the Holy Guardian Angels, the 4th is St. Francis of Assisi, the 7th is Our Lady of the Rosary, the 15th is St. Teresa of Avila, the 17th is St. Ignatius of Antioch, the 18th is St. Luke the Evangelist, and the 22nd is St. John Paul II. Quite the lineup in one month!
4. Lane Scott’s latest piece on social capital (vs capital capital) has given me a lot to think about, mostly because it’s an idea I’m very familiar with, yet it’s framed in a way I hadn’t yet thought of. It reminds me of our family’s decision to live where we live: in a fairly small old house, yet in an outrageously walkable neighborhood that’s incredibly easy to host other friends and families (and thereby share its Shire-ness) because there’s so much around us mere feet away: coffee shops, great restaurants, a beloved natural watering hole, community parades and events on the Square… These come at a cost of us living in a small-ish, one-bathroom house. Yet our community-driven location is invaluable. In her words: “So, what do you do if you aspire to a social capital way of life but you lack the requisite staffing? Well, I think obviously you’ve got to gather your people.”
5. And finally, the history of mustard. You’re welcome.

Currently Reading, Watching, Listening 📻

My Cozy Autumn playlist

Quotable 💬

“I wish that every day was Saturday and every month was October.”

- Charmaine J. Forde

What’s the best day of the week? 📆

I want to have a more creative answer (looking at you, Tuesday and Thursday answer-givers!), but alas, I’m Team Saturday all the way. I also feel like I should say Sunday—which is a close second for me—but it’s eclipsed by Saturday only because of those inevitable Sunday evening blues (though I admittedly enjoy my job a great deal).

But the best feeling of the week? Those show up on Friday nights. I love that start to the weekend, when you’ve got dinner simmering and a good 48 hours ahead of you… Bliss.

(Also, poor Wednesday.)

Monday: 5.7%
Tuesday: 2.6%
Wednesday: 1.4%
Thursday: 9.2%
Friday: 24.2%
Saturday: 29.2%
Sunday: 27.7%

Find the next poll question here.

Summer 2027: The Tuscan Region of Italy 🍝

An excursion from next summer’s pilgrimage itinerary I’m looking forward to: the Abbey of Sant’ Antimo (one of my favorite places in all of Tuscany…)

Come join us!