“Don’t read the comments” is sage life advice. Except on Wednesdays. We dedicate Wednesday to sharing the things that make us happy and we want to share with people! They will be inspirational, happy, educational, moving, and/or just plain silly.
Justin Clark – Pod Save the People: Charlottesville
Organizer and activist DeRay Mckesson hosts a podcast called, Pod Save the People. It focuses on conversations about culture, social justice, and politics. I’ve listened to every episode since it premiered and highly recommend it.
Deray shared an episode on Monday focused just on the deadly white supremacy violence in Charlottesville, VA. It was helpful for me, as I’ve spent the last few days trying to process the horrifying weekend. I really recommend listening to Deray’s conversation with Wes Gobar and Devin Willis from UVA’s Black Student Alliance and Danyelle, the NAACP’s UVA chapter leader. They shared their experiences from the weekend and spoke about how to move forward. Listening to young student leaders remain focused on forward progress helped replenish my soul.
Adam Chang – Kelsey Kuan cover of Redbone
Need some relaxing music to unwind to or perhaps something refreshing to help you push through that last minute project? Consider putting this song on repeat for a bit. Kelsey Kuan is an upcoming YouTube star in her own right. Here she is playing the Chinese guzheng, a stringed instrument that is often plucked to create music. The beginning segment gives you a sample of how the guzheng traditionally sounds. Kelsey then adds in her soulful singing with a cover of Childish Gambino’s (Ever seen an episode of Community?) song, “Redbone.” Anyone else wish this cover was longer?
Anika Steig – The Americans
In my spare time, like most people, I like to enjoy the ‘Golden Age of Modern Television’. I began watching The Americans a few months ago. The show just aired its fifth season (I’m only on Season 3), with its final season expected in 2018. It features Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, KGB spies posing as heads of an all-American family in 1980s suburban Washington, D.C. The juxtaposition of dangerous espionage with the everyday reality of raising two American kids is just as entertaining as the historical reminders of the politics of the Reagan Administration. While fictional, the show was created by Joe Weisberg, a former CIA agent. There perhaps too much action in each episode for any single spy, but each individual act of espionage seems entirely plausible – especially during the Cold War.
There are many things to love about this show, but one of the most entertaining parts for me is the ridiculously broad range of skills that these agents employ. From hand-to-hand combat and sniper expertise to flawless American accents and disguises that allow them to operate like completely different people. There are often references to their ‘training’ before they came to the United States, though few details are given. Every few episodes I am surprised by some new technical prowess that one or both of them possess; like tapping a phone, installing a bug or listening device, or really just getting the people around them to do what they want. I am about as far from a KGB spy as possible, but I do think about being a Jack (or Jill) of all trades, especially in the consulting world. Using a variety of skills to best serve a client or project is what keeps this work interesting. It also makes consistent training and research of new skills or applications necessary. Thankfully, my work is captivating and doesn’t (usually) require hand to hand combat.
