Was traveling, so I’m a couple of days late with my October @thestorygraph.com - some good reads this month!

My September @thestorygraph.com wrap up …

My August @thestorygraph.com summary. I also had a rare DNF (“Salt: A World History”).

My July @thestorygraph.com … I think that’s the fewest books in a month since I retired 🤣

My May @thestorygraph.com reading summary

NEW: US weather forecasting is in worse shape than previously known, with 30 NWS forecast offices missing meteorologists-in-charge and about a dozen offices at risk of no longer serving their communities 24/7. www.cnn.com/2025/05/02/w...

My April @thestorygraph.com I read a couple of dense books this month, so my pace was a little slower than it has been. But good stuff, nevertheless.

i am sure there is nothing wrong that the current secretary of defense is not only sloppy with security but also is an online gambler its not like blackmail or coercion are an issue for guys like that

My epiphany was when I realized what my job was: 1) ensure a safe campus, so learning can occur; 2) manage the budget so my school has the resources it needs; 3) coach, mentor, support, & develop my staff, who are the ones doing “the work”. That’s it. www.the-breakthrough-coach.com/when-hands-o...

This is a very good thread

My March @thestorygraph.com - two good memoirs this month!

School leaders, you can’t do it all. You’re not SUPPOSED to do it all. So stop trying. Do the work that is yours to do - coaching, mentoring, supporting, guiding, and providing resources to your staff. #edusky #schoolprincipal #leadership www.instagram.com/reel/DG0zxPc...

Another SpaceX oopsy seems like a good occasion to share this @propublica.org piece from a few weeks back

open.substack.com/pub/noahpini... It’s been evident for some time to anyone paying attention that Trump is a gangster turning the US into a gangster state. The ambush in the White House on Friday morning should make even conservatives sit up and take notice Noah Smith argues

My February StoryGraph. Expanded repertoire this month thx to @thestorygraph rdg challenges. Some of it has been great- read a terrific nonfiction book about modern art I’d usually never have read- & some of it not so great (currently reading a book that may actually become my 1st DNF book in yrs)

By going after the most popular government programs, they are thinking long-term, planning for a world where no one defends government agencies because these agencies don’t do anything that we value.

60 MINUTES: “Utter nonsense. The most accountable aid agency in the world is USAID… DOGE fired their top 58 officials within an hour of arriving…” This was never about efficiency. Full: www.instagram.com/reel/DGLXa9r...

So many years consumed building the barricades, fortifying the battlements, mastering deflection and evasion, stockpiling armories of words and wiles - All to be disarmed by a gentle smile #vss365 #disarm

This is the perspective shift that changed my view of my role as a #schoolprincipal, and that shift then radically altered what I spent my time doing at work. I was happier & more effective. I wish all school leaders could experience the shift. #EduSky 5.workingdemosite.com/breakthrough...

My January @thestorygraph.com stats 🥰🤓📚

I’d been fascinated by them for years, had #conjured up a sense of kinship with them. I knew that meeting one, touching it, would be magical. But now, facing one for real, I acknowledged how foolish that dream had been. I wanted to pet it. It wanted to eat me. We were not the same. #vss365 #hbp94

He was the sort of man I instinctively recoiled from: #unctuous and fawning, arrogance oozing from him. His artificially blinding smile tried to lure you into believing he was friendly, harmless, but my gut told me what he really was: a predator in search of prey. And my gut was never wrong. #vss365

You waste your time in #silence, worried and wondering, too afraid to move, uncertain and immobilized While minor mistakes laugh from the rafters and fearless ghosts dance in your living room. #vss365

Sky and Sea craft a mosaic of possibilities and pipe dreams I could soar to the heavens Like a wave driving against #ice I could sink to the deep Like a stone dropping through water I could But I won’t Instead I’ll feel black sand tether me to Earth and picture what might have been #vss365

“You need to leave. Go back. You’re an angel who doesn’t belong in this hell.” “Oh, really? Then which hell *do* I belong in, exactly?” I was so angry at him, I could feel heat rising off me. I #dusted the ash off me and stood up. “I’m staying. Deal with it. So, what do we do next?” #vss365 #hbp77

Their life together was a fragile ecosystem, preserved by his refusal to speak truth & her refusal to #quit barren land. The air crackled with anxiety, yet the system persisted through fire & drought. When an invasive species entered and collapsed it all, it was a kindness, not a curse. #vss365

The music is warm Rays of the sun echo rhythmically The wine soothes my skin Your embrace is satisfyingly #sweet Everything is topsy-turvy and yet everything is exactly right #vss365

This was no ordinary irritation, no garden-variety anger. This was fury. She was stuck in a #guessing game when what she needed was clarity. Pieces she'd tried so hard to make fit lay worthless at her feet. Even simple things looked out of place, mocking her impotence & ire. Goddamn IKEA. #vss365

This is Maisy. She gets an additional party hat for each birthday, and she just turned nine. 13/10 may this tradition go on forever

silence of snowfall song of screech owl for its mate — forest vespers ring #vss365 #vespers

I watched him work, motionless to not disturb his concentration. He was so patient, as he carefully #measured then fused the metals to create a piece that was stronger than its separate parts. This was the magic he possessed- able to unite two distinct entities into a single beautiful whole. #vss365

School leaders, if you have trouble finding words that feel comfortable to you in setting boundaries around your availability & the use of your time, check out these examples. Setting boundaries makes you more effective. #edusky #schoolleadership #schoolprincipal www.linkedin.com/posts/cdfros...

When I look at you I tell myself, I love you But when I’m being honest, I know that the punctuation there is a question mark not a period #vss365 #question

I used to believe that being smart meant having all the answers. But I’ve since learned that the truly wise know to ask all the #questions #vss365

Far be it from me to #question your fashion choices Ben, but WHAT are you wearing? Protective gear. I’m no fool. Aren’t you just going shopping? You’ve never been to the Apple Store on release day. Those crazies are as vicious as a pack of teens angling for GA space at a BTS show. #vss365 #hbp70

“I’m so happy you came! What’s that?” “Hostess gift for you. Weird painting I bought at a yard sale.” “That’s so kind- thank you! Although, I think if we turn it around we might enjoy it more. Oh, my. That’s a Kozhin. His landscapes are #delightul. You found this at a yard sale?!” #vss365 #hbp69

The combined net worth of America's twelve wealthiest people passed $2 trillion last year. 12 people. $2 trillion. Meanwhile, U.S. homelessness increased 18% in 2024. Our problem isn’t an issue of resources. Our problem is ever-expanding wealth inequality.

Lou stirred, roused by the howling wind, and rose to look through the blinds. Liv watched him move, this beautiful man, surprised to find herself untroubled by the squall outside. He #turned to see if she was awake. “Storm's getting worse,” he said. “Good thing you’re here,” she smiled. #vss365

Resolutions made to break patterns of the past with a new year’s birth — January second dawns, this #fresh page already stained #vss365 #tanka

And here’s my 2024 wrap-up #books #booksky #storygraph

Kicking off my #JanuaryPagesChallenge on @thestorygraph.com with The Ministry of Time. #booksky #books

In the muted morning light, I sweep up confetti and streamers, and carry empty glasses to the kitchen. Dregs of champagne sit in the bottom of a few, bubbles all fizzled out just like my 2024 #resolutions. Still cleaning up other people’s messes. Still talking to myself in the silence. #vss365

My December StoryGraph thanks to @thestorygraph.com - I’m curious to see how these stats will change with me doing their 2025 Reading Challenges. Happy New Reading Year! #books #booksky #storygraph

Do These 7 Productivity Winners Right Now.. You don’t have time to waste. 🧵

The bud peeked awake, infatuated with daylight #prompting it to play Then recklessly opened, blossoming wildly in the glow of a noonday star Wilted back into itself as the sun's warmth faded from the sky Yet its hope did not wither, for it knew a secret: The radiance would rise again. #vss365

Fearing loneliness’s starvation, you dine on crumbs of affection, morseled out by a man with an empty plate Anxiety feeds on your fear, keeps you bound to a barren table Until you learn you can feast on the peace found in #solitude, nourishing yourself with the universe’s bounteous love #vss365

No matter my yearning, nothing alters this unforgiving landscape You walk mnemonic wastelands, your world blessedly, damnably pristine So I’ll leave nostalgia’s minefields and greet you like a new friend #vss365 #mnemonic #alzheimers #dementia

Their table overlooked the water, glistening in the moonlight. It was set with silver, and oysters awaited as a first course. He looked across at her, smiling at the crinkle around her eyes and the streaks in her once-dark hair. All he saw was the girl he’d fallen for so many years ago. #vss365

She'd seen pictures and videos, but nothing prepared her for the awe. Standing there on the edge of the Klaustur lava fields at four in the morning, she cried as the the sky danced to a silent melody, a symphony of gold, green, and purple. The #tranquility soothed her anxious heart. #vss365

Teachers & school leaders, you love your work, you’re passionate about what you do. Because of that, you make the world better. 💜 As your winter break begins, I urge you to disconnect from work completely. Turn off teacher/admin brain (and email lol), nurture other parts of yourself. #edusky