Weekly Report

Weekly Report: October 7th - October 13th 2024

Good Morning Magpie

14 Oct 2024 — 3 min read

The Week in Summary:

On Monday, Taylor, James, Tricia, and I went out to Johnston Canyon in Banff National Park to go on a hike to see some of the beautiful waterfalls and get some fresh mountain air. You can read more about it here.
After wearing my new Hoka running shoes for our hike to Johnston Canyon, I found them to be too narrow for its mid-sole. We decided to return them to the store. Later in the week, I went to Mountain Equipment Co-op with Alexis and picked up some Brooks running shoes on clearance (saving a solid $100+). I have tried them for a few days, for casual use and running, both of which seem to be working fairly well so far.
In addition to my recent habit of doing gratitude journaling, I started running. I am a little out of shape, so I usually have to take some time to recover once I get back home, but I am optimistic about how it'll improve my well-being if I can stay committed to the routine.
As is tradition, I inflicted myself to some political debauchery by watching an irrelevant provincial election debate from a province I have never even resided in. This time, it was British Columbia, and I got the pleasure of listening to an insufferable Rustad lie through his teeth and spew his conservative bullshit on live television.
For Saturday, we went to Elliot and Oliver's wedding ceremony and reception. It was the first wedding we have attended since we got married back in the summer of 2019. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful and it was so full of love - there were plenty of tears of happiness. Taylor and I were joined by two other folks from Telus Spark, Jen and Katelyn, and we had a fantastic time throughout the celebration!
On Thanksgiving Sunday, Taylor and I spent the morning getting the condo clean and prepping dinner and dessert. We have never hosted folks over before for a dinner party, thankfully we had Alexis, Avery, and Krystal to join us for our first, but not last, Friendsgiving! We prepared an autumn vegetable stew, a pumpkin roll, banana bread, and mulled wine. Krystal brought over an excellent winter salad and delicious wine. Alexis brought over a pumpkin pie and the red wine we spiced to make mulled wine. I know that as someone who has been attentive to gratitude more lately, I am so thankful for the wonderful friends I have and the joyful time we get to share together. I love you all so dearly.

Recommendations:

Seventeen by Sharon Van Etten (Song): A great soulful song reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen - a lot of reflection on aging in these lyrics. Well needed as I approach my thirtieth birthday.
Four Ways to Be Grateful—And Happier by Arthur C Brooks (Article): Human happiness benefits from regular attention to gratefulness. Here are four ways to be more grateful after Thanksgiving has ended - with help from some famed philosophers.