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Siskiyou Seeds

They are based in Oregon and specialize in open-pollinated and heirloom seeds. They recently did a collaboration with a co-op seed company based in Catalonia to introduce Catalan tomato varieties traditionally used for pa amb tomàquet (a.k.a. pan con tomate). I had been looking for these seeds for a while now and was delighted to see a US-based seed company working with a Catalan producer.

Tampopo, directed by Juzo Itami (1985)

The love and appreciation of food is ingrained in Japanese culture, and I think this movie captures that so well. One of my all-time favorite movies.

The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs (1961)

A classic book about urban design and what makes a city or neighborhood flourish or decay. Reading this made me view my surroundings in a more systems-oriented way and notice the “sidewalk ballet” of everyday life, like how in the early mornings when I take my dog out, I see bakers leaving the local bakery from their nightshift and how that puts eyes on the street and keeps the neighborhood safe, and how my dog and I are also part of this ballet.

One Sec app for more intentional phone & app use

This app helps you develop better phone & app usage habits by interrupting your usage of social media apps, etc. For example, I have it set up so when I try to open Slack outside of work hours, it interrupts the app launch and makes me rotate my phone three times or take a few deep breaths. This makes me notice when I open Slack out of habit without even thinking about it. I have the same setup for Reddit and Instagram. Highly recommend.

Siskiyou Seeds

They are based in Oregon and specialize in open-pollinated and heirloom seeds. They recently did a collaboration with a co-op seed company based in Catalonia to introduce Catalan tomato varieties traditionally used for pa amb tomàquet (a.k.a. pan con tomate). I had been looking for these seeds for a while now and was delighted to see a US-based seed company working with a Catalan producer.

Tampopo, directed by Juzo Itami (1985)

The love and appreciation of food is ingrained in Japanese culture, and I think this movie captures that so well. One of my all-time favorite movies.

The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs (1961)

A classic book about urban design and what makes a city or neighborhood flourish or decay. Reading this made me view my surroundings in a more systems-oriented way and notice the “sidewalk ballet” of everyday life, like how in the early mornings when I take my dog out, I see bakers leaving the local bakery from their nightshift and how that puts eyes on the street and keeps the neighborhood safe, and how my dog and I are also part of this ballet.

One Sec app for more intentional phone & app use

This app helps you develop better phone & app usage habits by interrupting your usage of social media apps, etc. For example, I have it set up so when I try to open Slack outside of work hours, it interrupts the app launch and makes me rotate my phone three times or take a few deep breaths. This makes me notice when I open Slack out of habit without even thinking about it. I have the same setup for Reddit and Instagram. Highly recommend.