January flew, flew by, I tell you. We started with “wow, 2023 already, let’s have a chill time this year, hey what’s on Netflix?” and at the time of writing everything is different:

• Things are not chill, because we’re preparing ourselves, our lives, and our house for our first-ever puppy
• Both our work lives are unexpectedly bustling and busy
• We cancelled Netflix

I’ve been saying for years that I’d be willing to pay 100 euros a month for a single, all-encompassing international streaming platform. I suppose it’s never going to happen, but, hey, at least we’ll have that puppy, right?

The puppy!

Like I said, we kicked off the year very quietly, thinking “meh, someone asked us if we wanted a puppy, but we’re not really sure just yet.” This all changed ones we learned that eight healthy puppies were born and we were allowed to pick first. We went for a visit mid-January, and fell deeply in love with little Lemonade, who’s coming home at the end of February.

I went from a serious dog-free advocate to an expecting dog parent in two months' time, and I suppose it’s safe to say I’ve gone a bit mad. I’m designing a birth announcement card, and the puppy may or may not already have a website. Help me.

Reading

I picked up a few great titles at the library this month. One that was helpful to get through was, Loose Cannons Back on Track, about managing gifted neurodivergence in the workplace. At the moment, I’m thoroughly enjoying One Continuous Mistake: Four Noble Truths for Writers by Gail Sher.

Music

Musically, the year is off to a great start. I’ve made a new Brian Eno discovery that’s hard not to love, found a Mitski gem that has been on repeat, and added a great track to my work playlist: Tieduprightnow by Parcels. As always, I’ve compiled a playlist of all of these and more. Feel free to check it out.

Watching

I saw Triangle of Sadness again this month, and loved it more than I did the first time. I appreciate how well this movie understands the finality of our social roles, and how, at the same time, they can be transformed in the blink of an eye. In addition, I am secretly a 13-year-old boy who likes to look at people drowning in their own vomit and excrement.

Anja and I also began watching Shrinking, which is surprisingly fun. ‘Men’s liberation movement’ like Ted Lasso, but ever so slightly more depressing and realistic.

Something else

I find myself looking for great influencers focused on gifted neurodivergence. Like those many awesome YouTubers sharing tips and tricks on how to live with ADHD, but for giftedness, and not in some Mensa kind of way, but just something that’s honest about the challenges one may encounter. Most of what I find is written by pedagogues for parents of gifted children. If you know of anything, feel free to let me know.