Work In Progress Newsletter
Edition Three | June 6, 2022

WRITE THIS WAY…
Hello All and welcome to a special anniversary edition of the Work In Progress Newsletter. Today, June 6, marks the 78th anniversary of the D-Day landings as Allied Forces began the fight to drive the Axis out of occupied Europe in 1944. I have no idea how my 18-year old self would have handled a moment this fraught with terror, but I am forever grateful for and in awe of  their sacrifice. 

THREE DOTS… GOOD NEWS ONLY
After completing a high school diploma or a college degree under previously unimagined circumstances, graduates entering the workforce have good news: a booming job market… Turkish immigrant and founder of the Chobani yogurt empire Hamdi Ulukaya gave the keynote commencement speech at Northeastern University. “As we started to grow, we hired everyone that we could. I realized an hour away there was a community of refugees who were having a hard time finding jobs. I said, ‘Let’s hire them.’ … I promise you that there is nothing more rewarding than showing up in the world for other people, no matter how hard it may be.”… Taylor Swift gave the commencement address at NYU and earned an honorary degree. Her message of resilience was exceptional… Acclaimed documentarian Ken Burns recently completed a new series on the legendary Benjamin Franklin. Burns gave the commencement at Penn, founded by Franklin and admonished graduates to not focus on “amassing Benjamins”… 

ALSO OTD
On this date in 1972 David Bowie released his groundbreaking album “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars”. I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest there may have been some drug use… Also today in 1987, 17-year old Steffi Graf won her first Grand Slam beating world No. 1 Martina Navratilova 6-4, 4-6, 8-6 in the French Open. 

WEB MD AND ME
Shortly after completing last week’s Memorial Day Work In Progress Newsletter, I went down for the count with a nasty stomach bug. After logging on to Web MD and spending 15 minutes of diligent searching my fear and trepidation rose. I was sure I had either Viral Gastroenteritis or Celiac Disease. Fortunately, I am not that much of a medical overachiever and it was “just” a flu of some sort. COVID tests were negative. Gentle Reminder: Before you leap to the worst case scenario, check with your doctor. They went to medical school. 

Today, I am feeling better. I have not had a cup of coffee in over a week. Just typing that makes me look longingly at my Keurig. I’ve lost 11 pounds in the last eight days and look forward to graduating to foods not made in a blender very soon.

BEST THING I WATCHED
I needed comfort shows, so I rewatched the thoroughly entertaining Season One of “Ted Lasso” chronicling an American football coach taking over as the manager of an English Premier League club (AFC Richmond). If you’ve made it through two years of a pandemic without checking it out, you may be one of those people who steadfastly refuse to watch Star Wars. Here are all the Greyhound details.

WHAT I’M READING NOW
For Improvement: The High 5 Habit by Mel Robbins

For an Escape: Bad Luck and Trouble – Lee Child

Embracing my inner history nerd: Band of Brothers – Stephen Ambrose 

*Reading progress was slowed due to illness. Will have new recommendations/updates next week.

ESCAPE POD
One of my favorite weekly listens is Smartless hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett. Just smart, sharp and detailed conversations with assorted celebrity guests. One of my recent favorites dropped May 23, featuring Ben Stiller, who discusses proper neck tattoos among other topics.  

All episodes of Smartless are available on Apple Podcasts.

CLIP OF THE WEEK
The trailer for season one of… Ted Lasso…

MY GIF TO YOU
My mood after finishing this newsletter… via Toronto Blue Jays legend Joey Bautista…

QUOTABLE
“They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate.” 
– President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s official address announcing the D-Day invasion

THIS WAY OUT
Thanks for reading this D-Day anniversary edition of my Work In Progress newsletter. Look for a new article on my timeline later this week. My goal is to release these on Mondays. Thanks to Kim Kaupe and Terry Rice for encouraging me to launch this into the universe.

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