Work In Progress Newsletter
Edition Eight | July 11, 2022

WRITE THIS WAY…
Hello and welcome to the eighth edition of the Work In Progress newsletter, I’m your host Ryan McCrary. Today we careen towards mid-July on the calendar – also a fresh reminder that my Detroit Lions are still mathematically alive for the NFL Playoffs. I spent a couple days last week cutting, splitting, stacking, loading and unloading firewood on our tree farm. I am in reasonably good physical shape, but as I sit here the soreness is real. I have soreness in muscles I haven’t used in a while and my hamstrings are tight and protest when I try to do typically easy things… like sitting down in a chair. 

One of life’s underrated pleasures is when you swing the maul and it connects right in the sweet spot and the wood splits with minimal effort and a satisfying crack. Hopefully today’s post will hit your sweet spot and give you encouragement at the start of the week.

THREE DOTS… GOOD NEWS ONLY
Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov auctioned off his Nobel Peace Prize to help displaced Ukrainian families and children. The award fetched a record $103.5 million… Send photos of your tractor… The longest of journeys begins with a single step and Mike Atkinson is familiar with slow trips after the 78-year old drove a John Deere tractor 1800 miles from Washington State across the country to visit his brother. The journey raised more than $50,000 for Parkinson’s research… After 58 years of teaching the value of looking both ways, Judie Johnson has retired as a Hunnewell Elementary School crossing guard… a community fixture, Johnson was celebrated with a high five parade on the last day of school… Truly a noble Nobel winner… Two cardiologists, one heart… Not your typical father/daughter day… Dr. Harold Roberts and his daughter, Dr. Sophia Roberts performed a heart surgery together. Both credit a gift of the game “Operation” when Sophia was four-years old as the early motivator to enter cardiothoracic medicine. 

BEST THING I SAW ON THE ‘GRAM LAST WEEK
Back in 2000, Christopher Walken taught us how to dance. 

OTD – JULY 11, 2022
Notable Historical Moments… Five-time Wimbledon singles champion Charlotte Cooper became the first woman to earn an Olympic Gold Medal, taking the singles title in the 1900 Paris Games… Franklin D. Roosevelt announced his intention to run for a fourth term as President of the United States in 1944… *Spoiler: FDR won… again.

Famous Deaths… Soundtrack composer for most United Airlines commercials in the last 30 years, George Gershwin in 1937… legendary actor Sir Laurence Olivier in 1989.

Famous Birthdays… Notoriously stuffy US President John Quincy Adams (b. 1767)… Fashion mogul Giorgio Armani (b. 1934)… and noted Bon Jovi lead guitarist Richie Sambora started Livin’ on a Prayer today (b. 1959). 

WHAT I LINKEDIN LEARNED
Watched a fascinating weekly LinkedIn Live event – Communication and Data Storytelling with Jessica Chen featuring Bill Shander. Definitely worth a watch for those trying to share complex data details in the clearest manner possible, regardless of audience. 

WHAT I’M READING NOW
For Improvement: The Winner Within by Pat Riley

**One sentence review: As much as it pains me to praise any member of the Los Angeles Lakers, this is one of the classic books on leadership and coaching from the man who coined the phrase “three-peat” and crushed my Portland Trail Blazers over and over and over…” 

For an Escape: Three Wishes: A Novel by Liane Moriarty

**One sentence review: There’s nothing quite like family drama and this one is in triplicate as three sisters -triplets – navigate intertwining lives, loves and loss in Sydney. 

Embracing my inner history nerd: Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose

**One sentence review: Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark did not own a single piece of North Face, Patagonia or REI gear and yet still managed to be better outdoorsmen (and much, much tougher) than you.

WHAT I WATCHED
I am pleased to report that I made it a full week without watching Top Gun Maverick. Progress! Instead I have been embracing my inner British secret agent and have watched a shocking amount of James Bond movies. My favorites from the Sean Connery years: From Russia With Love and Thunderball. The entire library is streaming for free via Amazon Prime right now.  

ESCAPE POD
One of my favorite weekly listens is Remarkable People by Guy Kawasaki. One of my favorite recent episodes was his insightful conversation with high-tech historian Margaret O’Mara who discussed what we can learn from history. Give it a listen!  All episodes are available for free on Spotify.

CLIP OF THE WEEK
A look back at young Elvis on The Ed Sullivan Show. Wait for the background singers to show up in the clip.

MY GIF TO YOU
Thanks for reading this newsletter and Sir Roger Moore sums up my current mood…

http://https://media.giphy.com/media/r8jE5TSW38h4VNJzW4/giphy.gif

QUOTABLE
“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”
– Franklin Delano Roosevelt

THIS WAY OUT
Thanks for reading the latest edition of my Work In Progress newsletter. My goal is to release these newsletters each Monday – because who doesn’t need a shot of good news to start the work week? Look for a new article on my timeline later this week. Special thanks to Kim Kaupe and Terry Rice for encouraging me to launch this into the universe. As always, feedback is welcomed!