What's in My Bag

What’s in my NOW? — Jennifer S.

issue #165

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I am an econometrician working in the Pharma industry, finding trends and patterns in the chaos of data. I exercise my creative muscles by playing the ukulele and hosting a regular online Flash Fiction Meetup.

PHYSICAL

  • My ElizabethW flaxseed hot/cold pack. Two minutes in the microwave for a warm delight that helps me get to sleep at night. It is larger than an eyemask and the perfect length and weight to soothe. I rest it on my stomach when I’m having tummy issues, or down my back when I’m feeling chilled.
  • Don’t call it a fanny pack! It is a hiking pack I wear around my waist. Supersized so it can carry water, keys, phone, beanie, sunscreen, bug spray, gloves and more. Very durable. And won’t move when cinched tight. Super long strap so I can wear it over a t-shirt or even a puffy vest. Lots of pockets.
  • I’ve moved on to an advanced foam roller: The Rumbleroller. Spiky. It sat under my bed, scaring me, for about a year before I worked it into my morning stretching routine. But now I can’t go back to the plain, smooth version. It has helped me work through knee issues and hip issues and just-getting-old issues.

DIGITAL

  • Insight Timer! I have meditated 811 days in a row (and counting) because of Insight Timer! Wonderful mix of guided meditations from teachers from around the world. I go for the secular, breath-and-body focused ones, instead of the more spiritual or love-and-kindness ones. And they have a great selection of music tracks that help me concentrate when working.
  • 6 Nimmt game on BoardGameArea. A deceptively simple card placement game that I play online with complete strangers. Helps me wind down after a stressful day.

INVISIBLE

  • An icebreaker that my team has been using to start meetings: FISS. “What is something Funny, Interesting, Silly, or Surprising that you’ve seen, or has happened to you, since we last spoke?” It is quick, leads to great conversations, and gets people smiling before we get into the meat of the meeting.

What’s in your NOW?

We want to know what’s in your now — a list of 6 things that are significant to you now — 3 physical, 2 digital and 1 invisible. 

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12/27/23
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Categories

Hotels for Sale/Airline Points Devaluations/Attractive Cities for Living

A weekly newsletter with four quick bites, edited by Tim Leffel, author of A Better Life for Half the Price and The World’s Cheapest Destinations. See past editions here, where your like-minded friends can subscribe and join you.

Want to Buy a Hotel in Portugal?

A lot of travelers and remote workers dream of owning their own B&B or boutique hotel. Just finding the listings can be daunting though, so it’s nice to see this site for Portugal simply called Buythathotel.com. It finds, curates and summarizes listings, in English, with prices listed from 625,000 euros to a few million.

Higher Costs for Airline Reward Travel

If you feel like you need a lot more points these days to book that flight on Delta or United, it’s not your imagination. This Travel Weekly article highlights a new study showing that costs in points have gone up 28% since 2019. I just booked a one-way ticket from the USA to Mexico on American Airlines for 8,000 points though and it turns out their points are the most valuable. Southwest’s are next and the value is higher if you are checking a bag. Get a huge bank of points with the credit cards from Southwest (50K) or American (70K).

New Jersey Gets a Boost From NYC Airbnb Ban

New York City banned most short-term apartment rentals six months ago, hoping it would lead to more housing and lower rents. Neither of those results has happened yet. Instead, the city just handed lots of business to New Jersey towns across the river. “Jersey City has seen demand rise 77 percent year-over-year as of mid-February, according to AirDNA, while in Weehawken and Hoboken demand has increased 45 and 32 percent, respectively.”

Winning and Losing Cities in the War for Talent

Now that so many remote workers can live anywhere they want—and pick up and leave if a place disappoints them—how well are international big cities competing? This fascinating Fast Company article breaks down stats to reveal which cities are luring knowledge workers, which are losing them, and which are stagnant. (Good retention in Toronto and Melbourne, quick goodbyes in Dublin and Dubai.) It also looks at factors these residents value the most. Cleanliness, safety, and housing beat out medical care and quality of government services.


KEVIN KELLY SITES

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May 2024
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