Degree Of Difficulty

Well, it would seem things got a lot easier for me the other night. With the Patriots now out of the running for a title I can relax a bit. As I have said before, it's much easier to lose track of the basketball and hockey teams from day to day. Even when I was following them, I was never all that sure when they were playing. From a distance, I am proud of the effort for the Patriots this year. And, I am not entirely without relief that they aren't playing for a title in a few days. A title I would not be able to watch.

Meanwhile, it's time for an update on how I have been spending the time previously dedicated to paying attention to pro and college sports. As I said to a friend recently on Facebook, life feels very different without the constant stress of how teams are doing. My evenings are invariably spent with a little juggling, a good amount of guitar playing, and some fun reading. I also find myself at the gym more regularly than in most phases of my life. A good thing, since I am rapidly approaching a certain somewhat regrettable milestone. I'll let you guess which one.

What's interesting is that it's not just the evenings that have changed thanks to this shift in focus. All day long I used to have one eye on ESPN.com and other sports outlets to make sure that I knew if some rival had swiped a free agent, or some new injury had popped up at practice. Nowadays, I find myself seeking out more interesting sources of news. Because of that, I have some recommendations!

Lettersofnote.com is a great source for some distraction when you need it. Just about each day they provide a remarkable example of a letter. Sometimes they are between famous people, often just regular folks. Regardless, it's always compelling to read the transcription and then look at the phot of the actual letter. Enjoy!

Openculture.com has been another great source for me. Each day I get their email blast, which lists about 5 stories, and one or two always seems to catch my eye. The stuff they deal with is too wide in topic to even try to describe, so I'll just trust you to go check it out.

Finally, I have really been enjoying playing with the Lumosity app. That's the neuroplasticity site that helps you maintain and improve brain function. It seems like all the studies that have shown its value have been paid for by Lumosity itself, so it remains to be seen if it will actually do anything. Still, it's fun, and no one ever complained about snake oil if it was free.

Beyond that, the little forays into cooking and drink making continue, and more big ideas are brewing. So, maybe now that the degree of difficulty is a bit lower, I can hope to see even more results!