by Chris Judson (Co-Executive Treasurer)
I appreciate Gretchen Rubin’s weekly practice of “5 Things that make me happy.” There’s some strong research that indicates the more we name and list the things that make us smile, the happier we are. So, in that line of thinking, here are three things (seemingly random) that make me smile today:
For both of our sons (Evan and Colin), music is their language. During the first height of the pandemic, when everyone was home and in one space, Evan suggested joining this site. Based on the book by the same title, the email service sends you a new album from the book with links to your favorite streaming services. The upshot: you get a better idea of great albums that you might have never heard. Also, you can join a “project” (such as a group of family or department or just friends) and have yet another thing to chat about via text or Zoom. In our case, whenever we were traveling together, we made sure we listened to the album of the day. Also, you have the option to rate the album according to your opinion.
The American Film Institute has selected their top 100 American films of all time in list form. Our youngest son, Colin, approached me when he was 11 and asked if we could watch all the films on this list (since we had just watched number 99 (Toy Story). So, we began our journey starting with Ben-Hur and watched our way through, the two of us, all the films. Actually, and I appreciate this about Colin, he would read the parental disclosure for movies that were rated “R” and would usually tell me that it wasn’t appropriate for him to see the film. (He has, later on, has gone back and watched all of those films since). Great idea for Saturday nights for the next two years or so. Note: We were both disappointed that great films were not on the list (those not US produced). So, Colin and I developed two more lists of 100 movies to watch.
3. That New York Times “Baked Rice With White Beans, Leeks and Lemon” recipe
So, this was a crazy popular recipe when I found it in the Sunday Times a year or go so. When I cook for Lori (who also happens to be vegan), I need something good tasting for her and those who happen to be at our house. If you haven’t tried this recipe, give it a whirl--lots of taste, and for many, you might just start using leeks in more recipes. (Here’s an alternate site with the recipe.)