We are having a Stressful Time around here for a mix of good and bad reasons and as always I am handling it sooooooo well and being so mature and making so many good and sensible decisions and behaving like, so super normal that I just heard I’m getting an award for it, so that’s cool.

So anyway, as I am sure I’ve mentioned here before, I think the music Vince Guaraldi did for the Peanuts tv specials is some of the best of all time. I’m a jazz guy, and have been since I was a little kid, so I was predisposed to liking it anyway, but as I have seen many other people say on the internet in recent years, essentially: he did not have to go that hard, you know? Except he did! Because we used to really make things! And they were good! And there are reasons they have lasted!

ANYWAY, I have been Stressed and when I am stressed I put on a playlist called ‘soothe’ which is just “Great Pumpkin Waltz” and “Thanksgiving Theme” that I play on a loop because it is comforting but it also recedes into the background in a pleasant way and you can literally track the worst years of my life for a while now by whether those two songs show up in my Spotify Wrapped. (Oh this year… Oh buddy.) So that’s something I highly recommend, even if I don’t want you to be stressed enough to need it.

I have also recently enjoyed some snacks! Doritos Golden Sriracha are bomb and the most tortilla chip tasting Dorito I’ve ever eaten. (I am normally a Spicy Sweet Chili–is that what those are called?–person as far as “””new””” Doritos go–Cool Ranch 4ever ofc–but this was a fun detour.) Planters Duos peppercorn pistachio and parmesan cashews are bomb. I’ve been pretty into eating tuna on those store bought tostadas with guacamole. Caesar salads are as always the goat of summer meals.

This month we donated to PBS in both North Dakota and Minnesota, Wikipedia, and the classrooms of some teacher friends which I always recommend, especially in a couple months where the new school year flush has run out!

Okay, that’s it. Hope you guys are not wildly stressed out also, but if you are I hope it’s for a good reason! (The regular dread and horror of being alive right now doesn’t count as stress, right? Right.)