Tool
Ya know how every presentation you’ve ever given has technical errors because of different versions of PowerPoint or trying to go between Mac and PC? VLC media player is a great, free, downloadable program. I can always play videos on my Mac. My dad actually got his work to adopt the program for all of their laptops, too. Super convenient.

Craving
Walmart has a delicious, affordable, fresh-tasting salsa by Fresh Cravings that I can’t get enough of. Get Medium Restaurant Style Crave Salsa (16oz).

Nerd Out
The Last Ring-bearer is a fan-written sequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy written by a Russian scientist. I haven’t read it yet—in fact, I haven’t read any of the LotR books aside from The Hobbit, but they’re on my list to read. It’s nearly as long as a full LotR novel, and the gist of it rides on the proverb of “history is written by the victor”. It’s from the perspective of Mordor as a technologically-advanced, industrious nation. Free PDF download on the translator’s website.

Awakening
New workout routine and epiphany about cardio weights. I was at the gym and a friend said to move my rest between reps to 30 seconds and it should help my cardio. I use the app Full Fitness (love it!) to track my workouts, and it had a pre-programmed runner’s workout routine included. I tried it out, and it was all weights, no cardio, but I was sweating during my lift like never before! So I’ve altered my workout to be weights with minimal rest then cardio.

Science Rules
I absolutely loved The Martian by Andy Weir (see Books Read in 2016), and I was recently thinking about the plausibility on surviving of potatoes. Live Science has an article outlining exactly that! Luckily, I’m a sweet potato lover, so I could manage longer than most, right?

Living in the Now
Cal Newport is a guest speaker on The College Info Geek Podcast in What We Learned from Reading “Deep Work”. He speaks to the concept of deep work he is famous for. It totally opened my mind into how I need to work. I can’t have my phone nearby when I’m doing homework. I can’t just check Facebook when I get bored with a TV show. It’s a lot about being in the present, but also the added benefit of focusing on work. Even further, he talks about the addiction of distractions and how to build your discipline to really be free from all these externalities.

New Show
I went through Netflix one day and added a whole bunch of shows to my list. The only qualifications were that they 1) were TV-14 or below (I don’t do TV-MA or R), and 2) had decent ratings (or sounded appealing enough to outweigh mediocre ratings). My most recent find is Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories. It’s in Japanese (I love it! The culture fascinates me) so I watch with subtitles. It’s all about a diner that’s only open between midnight and 7_AM. Each episode, you’re introduced to a new dish and a  new person’s story. I always have an intense craving for ramen when I watch it.

Playing
Can’t get enough of Blizzard’s Hearthstone. Free download. I’ve got it on my Mac and iPhone. I’ve been missing going to the ole Game Parlor in Sterling with my pals. I was into Magic the Gathering for a while, and this is very similar (and less costly! haha). Check it out! My Battle.net username is starkexpo#1538.