Weekly Report: July 14th - July 20th 2025
The Week in Summary:
- With another week attempting to work from the dreaded desk, I am beginning to develop a few strategies for dealing with this sedentary arrangement. First, regardless of whether I am working from home or the office itself, I need to get a couple bike rides (and plenty of movement breaks) in throughout the day. Second, the working day needs to be guided by very clear and achievable goals accomplish on a to-do list (an organizational pillar that I have grown lovingly dependent on over these past several months). Third, something called "body-doubling" has proved useful (especially if it includes a working lunch like on Wednesday). But more generally, that one scene from Office Space is my current vibe.
- On Friday evening after work, Alexis and I met up with Raneem and Abby at Pho City for dinner. Afterwards, we went to New Gallery in Chinatown for Mahjong Night. I hadn't played Mahjong ever, but I learned so much about the game (especially thanks to Abby and one of the event's hosts). When the event ended, we went to Mama Dessert and ended up getting caught in a phenomenal thunderstorm on the way back!
- On Saturday, Taylor, Katelyn, and I went to a Calgary Climate Hub bike ride (Hubs & Spokes 2025) through the downtown to explore Calgary's active transportation network. After, we went Central Restaurants for lunch. In the evening, Taylor and I joined the family to celebrate Taylor's grandfather's 85th birthday) and our 6th wedding anniversary with Chinese food! On Sunday, our proper wedding anniversary, we decided to spend the first part of the day in Kensington get coffee/tea at Higher Ground and pick up some books. For lunch, we went to Class Clown before going home to relax. We ended up playing Chess and Balatro until we had someone from Facebook marketplace drop off a credenza for our living room.
- Throughout the week, I have been reading about the 2016 Fort McMurry wildfire in John Vaillant's Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast. Whilst I have not finished it yet, this has been an extremely great book. It makes me even more thankful for the rainy days we've had this week, but more concerned about the threats wildfires pose to wildland-urban interfaces across North America. Our world is changing and we are not ready for it.
The Week in Images:
The Week in Links:
Listen up, weaklings: there’s no Epstein client list. Why are you so obsessed? Yours, Donald J Trump | Marina Hyde
It’s the bonfire of the Maga hats. The real mystery is where their wearers got the idea of a paedophile conspiracy from in the first place, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde
Marina Hyde
