I have a tendency towards completionism. That means, when I start something, I have to do/read/listen to the entirety of the item.

If I start the first book in a series, I will read the entire series. If I start a new podcast, I will go back and listen to the whole archive. If I start a project, by golly, I am going to work until it is done. 

While this is time consuming, it is not usually a problem in my life.

Unless I need to play catch up.

That tends to happen after vacations or long periods where I am away from my usual routine. For example, we just go back from vacation. My email is overflowing and my podcasts are stacked up. My desire to ensure completion means that I'm going to be digging out for awhile. My inbox is at a number that gives me hives and I've got like 5 hours left of podcasts to listen to. All while the usual stuff is still rolling in.

Could I just mark everything read or as played? Sure. 

Will I? Nope.

I'm just going to keep plugging away in little chunks until I'm caught up. Then I'm going to get back to reading the books in that cozy mystery series I started.

Do you have to complete things?

Leave a comment

Nothing. There is absolutely no book in my life right now. I’ve got two holds about to come in from the library and I want to be able to start them when they arrive. Instead, I’m opting to read through my backlog of newsletters. (See above.)

• I may have to try this gifting idea. [Apartment Therapy]

• Why do we glorify the pain of childbirth? [The Atlantic]

• Sometimes nature is adorable. [WaPo - gift link]

• I use a bullet journal, but I never considered journaling for work. I may need to try. [Career Contessa]

• A review of Taco Bell's crunchwrap supreme that is just delightful. [The Takeout]

• If you see a spotted lantern fly, it's a good idea to kill it. [NPR]

• Scientists are looking to use mRNA vaccines for other diseases and are sharing the recipe. [Short Wave]

• Love, marriage changes, and Jane Austen. [Hot and Bothered]

• The first computer bug. [Atlas Obscura]

• I just learned a lot about coffee. [Short Wave]

• This audio book is so meta I made need to listen to it. [Book of the Day]

• When I say the library's relationship with e-books is complicated, this is what I mean. [The Indicator]

• While we were out of town, we joined my in-laws watching a few episodes of a charming Canadian murder mystery series. Murdoch Mysteries is set in the late 1800s but the main character uses his version of modern investigation to solve crimes. The show is over acted and almost cartoonishly produced, but it's a lot of fun. I'm bummed we can't stream it from the beginning at home. [Acorn]

• After two weeks of vacation eating mood, we made the past week lighter fare. That meant I had an excuse (not that I need one) to make vegetarian French dip sandwiches. These are so darn good. This is my favorite vegetarian meal. Even our toddler enjoyed it this time! We served it with a side of roasted sweet potatoes. [Budget Bytes]

• I knew that potstickers with sesame slaw was a fast meal but I made it even faster by cheating. I bought a bag of Dole's chopped Asian salad. Then I tossed in the red bell pepper. (We had to skip the shelled edamame as our store was out.) Dinner was on the table in 15 minutes flat. [Budget Bytes]

This week was nothing but faculty professional development. We shared this in our internal chat a lot.

If you like reading my newsletter, you may enjoy reading How About This. Each week, Mark cycles through insightful essays on creativity and writing, links to great finds online, and interviews with interesting people. Plus, there are occasional pictures of journal pages and I always love seeing those.

Do you ever need to find a meme from days of yore? (Or last month in internet time?) Memegine is a full-text search engine to help you track it down. So when shouting girl quiets down, you can find it again.

Classes start Monday and I’m excited about it.