“Save For Later”
I am 100% guilty of overusing the “save for later” button whenever it’s an option. I’ve also become known for sharing links constantly with friends and family through email, texts, or WhatsApp groups. I even email myself. Or text myself. Now that I upgraded my personal computer, I’ve taken texting myself to a whole new level. I find it much quicker than drafting an email and having it right on my computer is a game changer. Though, I already begun doing this with work related articles or items I didn’t want to forget, via Slack messaging myself throughout the day.
Finally, a place for some of those links to land. Here, in this post. I’ve compiled as many of those links as I could find from January (seemed like a good place to start) in this post below. I performed a bit of a self audit. Sorting through my apps for the NYT and Boston Globe on my phone, quickly offloading the “saved for later” links from this month. Going through my gmail and work emails from the month to myself as well as those texts I spoke about (now coming from my computer daily) both in WhatsApp and on my phone.
So here is the first of what I hope, becomes a monthly “Links I Saved or Shared This Month”. Of course it goes without saying that I could have likely saved 5x as many links as you’ll see below, but it becomes a bit overwhelming if you try and track them all. Below are a few of my favorites and those that I could easily pull up from those various places without much effort along with a bit of commentary.
Lastly, I spent a good chunk of January finally beginning my Harry Potter reading journey! My nephew in Liverpool started reading them at night and I thought it would be a great way to keep up with him, if I finally dove in and read the books. As a millennial, I’m one of few people that haven’t already devoured these books page by page, but it was always a bit too overwhelming for me. So I stuck with the movies – till now! I’m sure I’ll be writing some Harry Potter content shortly..
From WhatsApp:
I have a few different WhatsApp chats going with friends and family, but by far my most used are my “Family Text” and my “j/k, ma, meg” chat. Both were created by my brother and sister in law who live in Liverpool, years back when we realized how user friendly WhatsApp was. It’s the pulse of our family communication, a constant thread of stories, pictures, dad jokes, updates (good and bad), and celebrations. It includes my siblings, their partners, a few of my cousins, and my aunts (on both sides – cool, right?) so there’s really no knowing what will come up that day.
Though, a few common themes do exist. In the “Family Text” you can expect an early morning birthday shoutout from the clan, a live feed of the daily political climate, and those important life moments (again, both good and bad) – being shared, with family. So for links you can expect a lot of politics, etc. In the “j/k, ma, meg” text there is really one goal – keeping in as constant connection with my not-so-little nephew that I absolutely adore. Aside from staying in the loop with our “Daily John” (whether it’s school achievements, football updates, or just a cute pic from the day) we trade a lot of medical based articles. My sister in law Kate, works alongside one of the teams at Imperial College (luckily, from the safety of her home). Their team is at the front of the battle against COVID-19 and it’s been an extremely exciting time for everyone at Imperial as they try to unlock more of the COVID mystery. Given Kate’s vast knowledge on the subject and her knowing that my mom (a nurse for many many years, now retired) and I are always interested in the latest news or research being released by the medical field (science! trust it!!), you can expect a lot of medical links below.
Family Text January Links:
If you see them on the street, in a restaurant on your college campus, politely ask them: “You were one of the coup plotters, weren’t you? Shame on you.”
Exercise in futility’: Republicans lambaste Hawley’s push to challenge election
‘Be There. Will Be Wild!’: Trump All but Circled the Date
A Team of Artists Will Turn the Hatch Shell into a “Four Week Illumination and Sound Experience”
“The project, called Hatched: Breaking through the silence, will give Boston what it desperately needs: Something safe and fun to do outdoors.“
I went by this the other night on my walk back to my parents place. I only saw it for a few minutes because it was snowing and I was rushing, but I definitely plan to go back and check it out again!
Panic buttons in Ayanna Pressley’s office were ‘torn out’ ahead of riot | Boston.com
Douglas Emhoff: I Might Be the First Second Gentleman, But I Don’t Want to Be the Last | GQ
Team Doug. I’m a big fan.
“I may be the first Second Gentleman, but I know I won’t be the last.”
– Second Gentleman, Douglas Emhoff
Trump Is the Worst President in History – The Atlantic
Hank Aaron, baseball legend and former home run king, dies at 86
“Hank Aaron was a legend and a gentleman. A little before your time for many of you, but he was still a force when I fell in love with the Red Sox and Carl Yazstremski in 1967. Aaron was selected to the all star team 25 times.”
– My dad, a very loyal Sox fan since ’67
“The world was in a frenzy the year he beat the home run record. He was a real sports hero”
– My 73 year old aunt, Judy
“Omg. I used to love their Tuna. I prob ate 100 foot longs in my lifetime”
– my cousin, in response to my brother sending the article above
From j/k, ma, meg:
How Does the Coronavirus Variant Spread? Here’s What Scientists Know
U.S. Is Blind to Contagious New Virus Variant, Scientists Warn
"It’s too early to know how B.1.1.7 will affect the American pandemic — and crucially, whether it will overwhelm U.S. hospitals as it has those in Britain. Most people who get infected do not pass on the virus to others. A small fraction of people are responsible for much of its transmission in so-called super-spreading events. They wind up in the right place at the right time to infect many people at once." - January 6th
The Power (and Joy) of Being Prepared
As the New C.D.C. Chief, I’ll Tell You the Truth
Imperial vaccine tech to target COVID mutations and booster doses
Links I emailed myself in January:
*most of the links I email myself are actually recipes, which I’m hoping to compile eventually in the Food section!
It’s also interesting to see how few links I’ve emailed myself recently, now that I have been using the save for later and the texting from my computer feature so much more. Below are a few that still found it’s way to my inbox:
Boston doctors call for national hi-fi mask distribution program to prevent COVID-19 spread
"What matters are facts, both about the covid-19 pandemic and the conduct of the 2020 election: You can, in fact, breathe through a mask. Doctors have been doing it for decades. It is occasionally annoying — my glasses tend to fog, and when I wear makeup and a mask, I end up with smudged lipstick. That is a small price to pay for the safety of those around me. You can, in fact, count on a mask to reduce the chances of spreading the virus. Studies of how many droplets escape into the air and the rates of infection following the implementation of mask mandates both prove effectiveness. Refusing to wear a mask is not, in fact, an act of self-expression. It’s an act of public endangerment. The chaos you create in exercising your so-called freedom can cause permanent, deadly damage.”
Justin Timberlake Hopes ‘Palmer’ Will ‘Open Eyes, And Open Ears, And Open Hearts’
I heard JT on my favorite podcast (Armchair Expert) the other day and Palmer came up. I also saw this article on NPR and want to be sure I remember to check it out, so adding to this list! I’ll hope to update my list of what I’m watching and add somewhere on here in the near future.
To ‘Keep Sharp’ This Year, Keep Learning, Advises Neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta
Anytime I see Sanjay Gupta’s name on something I immediately know it’s something I want to consume (whether it’s a tv appearance, a podcast, a book, an article, or just a comment). This article came out on January 4th and Sanjay was back on Armchair Expert (ding ding ding**) on the 7th. Sanjay has (not surprisingly) been extremely busy with all things COVID. I’d also highly recommend his own podcast, Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction for listening.
**Why the ding ding ding? For anyone else that listens to Armchair Expert, you know that Dax and Monica frequently talk about the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon. As I was writing these last two blurbs I had a good laugh because both Justin and Sanjay were both within the last couple of weeks on the Podcast. It’s pretty fascinating how frequently this really does seem to occur!
“Saved For Later” in January:
A lot of these links make their way to a few of my different friend text groups or just friends on their own as well. But it would be far too tough to try and sort through those. So, I’m assuming 9 out of 10 times, if an article was worth texting to a friend, I likely used the “save for later” feature as well.
NYT:
We Are the ‘Exonerated 5.’ What Happened to Us Isn’t Past, It’s Present.
"On Dec. 19, 2002, a judge vacated our convictions for the brutal attack on Trisha Meili, who many know as the “Central Park jogger.” On that day, our 13-year fight for justice came to an end. The lies that we were told by detectives to wrongly convict us were finally exposed and ceased to hold power over us. Now, we are fighting to prevent others from facing the same fate. At the time of our arrests in 1989, we were just boys — Kevin and Raymond, the youngest among us, were only 14 — and we came to be known as the “Central Park Five.” Now we are known as the “Exonerated Five,” and, largely because of Ava DuVernay’s series “When They See Us,” the world knows our stories. But what people may not realize is that what happened to us isn’t just the past — it’s the present. The methods that the police used to coerce us, five terrified young boys, into falsely confessing are still commonly used today. But in its coming session, New York State legislators have the power to change that." "The miscarriages of justice in our cases weren’t isolated incidents. False confessions played a role in nearly 30 percent of wrongful convictions later overturned by DNA evidence. In New York State alone, 43 people who have been exonerated, including us, were wrongly convicted based on false confessions. Several of those innocent people were, like us, teenagers at the time they were wrongly accused."
This was hilarious.
Getting Rid of Stuff: How to Declutter Quickly
Raise your hand if you’ve decluttered/reorganized at least once during the pandemic? I know I’m not alone in this.
My Unlikely Pandemic Dream Partner
This was a really sweet read.
A Pandemic Is Hard Enough. For Some, Being Single Has Made It Harder.
Two points I found most relatable in this well done piece:
“All of the self-sustaining energy needs to be self-generated,” he said. “There’s no one else there. There isn’t anyone in the physical area to rely on emotionally, physically or spiritually.”
“It sucks for everybody,” Ms. Rogers said. “It sucks in different ways, but it sucks for everyone and there’s no need to minimize it.”
13 New Books to Watch For in February
I’m always trying to read more. Or finish all of the books that I have started. Here’s one I plan to add to my collection:
‘Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted,’ by Suleika Jaouad (Random House, Feb. 9) Soon after graduating from college, Jaouad received an alarming diagnosis:Her unexplained rashes and fatigue were the result of an aggressive type of leukemia. Jaouad documented much of her chemotherapy and treatment in a column for The Times, and her book reflects on life after remission. A cross-country trip allowed her to meet people who had written to her during treatment — and figure out what kind of life she wanted to lead.
The Joy of Watching Other People Clean
LOL. I sent this to my mom and dad as a joke. My mom vacuums daily. We joke that it’s her hobby. Looks like her new hobby could potential be a YouTube sensation?
17 Cooking Tips Our Food Staff Swears By
This was a fun one! I sent it to my brother, Jeff, who I trade articles (mostly cooking) with pretty regularly. We both found a few good tips. But especially like this one:
Start Garlic in Cold Oil: I wish I could remember who taught me to start garlic in cold oil. Whenever my first step is to fry garlic, I put the garlic and oil into a cold pan and then turn on the heat, so the fry is gentle, slow and even. The garlic and oil heat up together, so the garlic doesn’t immediately singe on the edges because the oil got too hot, or start to color too quickly. TEJAL RAO
A Rare Menu That Tells The Truth: The Pork? Greasy. The Beef? Meh.
Entertaining read for a change of pace. Same category as the Chip article.
I found one of my go to favorite affordable reds in here. I get mine at my local shop, The Wine Press! I’ll have to look closely at the other choices, but in a brief skim this one popped out so I thought I’d go ahead and share!
Cacique Maravilla Pipeño País 2019 1 liter $18.99
Manuel Moraga makes this delightful, vibrant, easy-to-drink red wine from very old vines of país — mission in English — in the Bío Bío region of Chile. It’s a thirst-quencher, which is the usual role of pipeño, the traditional wine of the region, and is packaged thoughtfully in one-liter bottles. The wine is not complicated: Mr. Moraga farms organically, ferments the grapes and bottles without much aging, capturing the spirit and energy of the place. (Selections de la Viña/Fruit of the Vines, Long Island City, N.Y.)
This was a really interesting read, especially after having recently watched (and loved) Sound of Metal on Amazon (at the recommendation of my friend – thanks, Kels!)
Find Original Poetry Hiding in The Pages of Your Paper
I thought this was kind of a cool poetry writing technique and definitely something I had never heard about before.
Boston Globe:
How many friends do we really need to be happy?
We’ve all heard of Dunbar’s number, right?
The psychologist will see everyone now
“You’re supposed to go to the dentist at least once a year. Why not get mental health checkups too?”
How do you help the healers? The Emotional PPE Project covers what masks and face shields don’t
This article is super important. I hadn’t heard about The Emotional PPE Project until I read this. What a great way to use resources that already exist within the medical community and come together.
My goal is to replicate this next month. Now that I sort of have the sections mapped out and the idea in my head, I think it’ll be natural to bookmark or save the links out of habit, making this easier next time around! More to come!