I really enjoyed putting together my first ‘The Things I Love post, so I think I’ll make it a semi-regular feature. Spending time thinking about things that bring a little joy into my life can only be a good thing, right?
These are the podcasts, articles, thoughts, shows, gear and other stuff that have brought me joy and made me smile lately. I hope at least some of them will do the same for you.
Note: Some of these links are Amazon affiliate links where I may be compensated if you purchase items or click on the links. Read more about my affiliate policy. I only link to items I have, use, or want, and would recommend regardless of potential reward. My personal affiliate link guideline: Would I recommend this to my mom?
The Thins I Love This Week
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries
I want Miss Fisher to be my alter ego. She is a ‘lady detective’ in Melbourne in the 1920s. She’s smart, witty, capable, lives life to the fullest, has an utterly amazing wardrobe, and an ongoing flirtation with the dashing Detective Inspector Jack Robinson.
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries is my current comfort food show. I’ve seen all the episodes (several times), and yet I still don’t hesitate to put it on again at the end of the day when I want to watch something I know I’ll love. Plus, I need to study up on Miss Fisher’s mannerisms so I can incorporate a little more of her into my life.
It airs occasionally on PBS, but it’s easier to catch it on Netflix or purchase it on Amazon.
OMG – it’s a book too! I didn’t know this until I was searching Amazon. I haven’t read the books, but I’ve now put them on reserve at the library. I’ll let you know if they are as much fun as the TV show.
The Dollop Podcast
I listen to many, many podcasts while I run.
I try to minimize the number of them that are two white guys in a room being funny with each other. There is enough of that in the world and I don’t want to encourage more it.
The Dollop is two white guys being funny, but it still made the cut. It’s an American history podcast done by comedians. One tells a true story from American history (usually obscure and absurd) while the other (who doesn’t know what the story will be) reacts.
It is one of the few ‘comedy’ podcasts I’ve listened to that I’ve actually found funny. Occasionally, laugh out loud in public funny.
A love of the occasional (ok, not so occasional) pun in helpful.
Muji Pens and Notebooks
I’m a sucker for great stationary. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, but there are few things in the world I enjoy more than a pen that writes just so. I was one of those kids who loved going back to school because it meant new pens and notebooks. I never grew out of it.
The ink needs to be just the right color (never black, black ink it so boring). Notebooks need to be wire bound, preferably dot-grid.
A few years ago I discovered Muji. Muji is a Japanese store that sells a little bit of everything, but I rarely leave their stationary section. They have a ton of great stuff, but when I go, I stock up on two things:
- Blue Gel Ink .5 Pens
- A5 Dot-Grid Notebooks
Injinji Socks
The running toe-shoe fad several years ago totally passed me by, but toe socks? Love them!
I’d historically had blister issues between my toes. No amount of body glide seemed to help. Then I discovered Injinji toe socks. I know, Injinji socks look a little goofy, but I haven’t had a single toe blister since I started wearing them 5 or 6 years ago.
They do take some practice to get on – even after all these years it usually takes me a few tries to get them on right. But they are totally worth the effort.
Most of my Injinji’s are boring white or tan
But I think I need to step up my sock game. How cool are these Injinji Sierra & Costa Rica socks?
Geocaching
Geocaching is a hobby I tried a few years ago and liked, but I stopped doing for no reason in particular. Around Christmas, I found a few new caches and I’m again hooked. It’s a hike and a treasure hunt all in one, what’s not to love?
Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS. You get a set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the cache hidden at that location. Most caches have only a log, but sometimes people have left little tokens or gifts you can take.
You can try it for free with the geocaching app (iOS and Android) and the GPS on your phone. If, like me, you have an older phone that has less than stellar GPS accuracy, you can use a Garmin watch with navigation or a separate handheld GPS unit.
Give it a try!
