Work In Progress Newsletter
Edition Nine | July 18, 2022

WRITE THIS WAY…
Hello and welcome to this, the ninth edition of the Work In Progress newsletter, I’m your progressing host Ryan McCrary. I spent most of last week dealing with a self-inflicted knee injury. I was watching a YouTube video and the host guaranteed that doing single legged squats was not nearly as hard as it looked. Spoiler: They are (way) harder than they look. Attempt at your own peril. Coordination has always eluded me. My mom once promised me it was a phase and I’d grow out of it. I am still anxiously waiting. 

So I attempted single legged squats. The first two were fine and then I got cocky and attempted the third (in a set of 15!) when (*insert serious documentary narrator voice here) disaster struck. I felt a pop in my left knee. I let out a yelp. I stopped squatting. In retrospect I wish I would have stopped squatting before the pop. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to rest, ice and elevate.

THREE DOTS… GOOD NEWS ONLY
Nora Langdon has no sympathy for my squat technique… the 78-old powerlifter holds 19 world records and a personal best squat  of 413 pounds… follow her remarkable journey on Instagram: @noraliftsheavy… Meet 16-year old Corion Evans, who rescued three teenagers and a police officer from a sinking car in the Pascagoula River… Evans made four trips to rescue the three teenage girls who had driven off a boat ramp and an officer who had gone in to attempt a rescue… Not your typical Barbie Doll… World renowned conservationist, animal behavior expert and activist Dr. Jane Goodall is immortalized by Mattel with a special Barbie Doll made of recycled materials and comes outfitted in khakis with a notebook and binoculars. Also last week, Goodall planted the 10 millionth tree in the Greater Sudbury area in Canada in part of a reclamation effort begun nearly four decades ago… As Danny Rojas is fond of saying on the hit series Ted Lasso, “Football is life”… For Ivan from Macedonia a partially deflated football saved his life during a harrowing 18 hours in the Aegean Sea before being rescued. 

BEST THING I SAW ON THE ‘GRAM LAST WEEK
Timeless professional development advice from surfing philosopher Spicoli. HERE

OTD – JULY 18
Notable Historical Moments… Billy Joel’s Glass Houses, featuring the hit “It’s still rock and roll to me” album tops the US Charts in 1980. 

Famous Deaths… Notorious gangster and the original “Machine Gun”, George “Machine Gun” Kelly (b. 1895) was born on this date and died of a heart attack in Leavenworth in 1954… legendary long, longform novelist Jane Austen in 1817. 

Bonus Jane Austen quote from another writing icon: “Everytime I read ‘Pride and Prejudice’ I want to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone.” – Mark Twain

Famous Birthdays… Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela (b. 1918)… Apollo astronaut John Glenn (b. 1921)… Virgin mogul Richard Branson (72), action movie star Vin Diesel (55) and Forgetting Sarah Marshall star Kristen Bell (42).

WHAT I LINKEDIN LEARNED
Watched a fascinating weekly LinkedIn Live event with model & activist Quannah Chasinghorse and #Windforce President Esau Sanchez-Diaz in a groundbreaking conversation about indigenous representation and upholding values. WATCH HERE. 

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: Thunderball by Ian Fleming

**One sentence review: While many may be unaware, James Bond existed in books before movies, but fear not, Ian Fleming’s superspy still saves the world from impending nuclear disaster.

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 watched 12 Strong, the true story of a special forces unit that went to Afghanistan in the immediate aftermath of September 11 with the mission of “defeating the Taliban and making Afghanistan unsafe for terrorists”. Quite a job for 12 guys, most of whom are riding horses for the first time. 12 Strong is streaming now on Netflix. In other news: It’s now been nearly 15 days since I last watched Top Gun Maverick and I am feeling the need, the need for speed. Again. 

ESCAPE POD
My inner history geek is rejoicing. I was encouraged to listen to the American Scandal podcast and I consumed its series on Watergate and the aftermath. Truly remarkable to listen to history come alive. All episodes are available for free on Spotify.

CLIP OF THE WEEK
Kunu (Paul Rudd) teaches surfing and other important life lessons in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

MY GIF TO YOU
A live look in at my failed leg workout… 

http://https://media.giphy.com/media/MBUtbumAgz5MAo6j7v/giphy.gif

QUOTABLE
“Why is it that people who can’t take advice always insist on giving it?” 
– Daniel Craig, Casino Royale

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!