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I’ve found one hack to make my commute better: start the week with Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast. I kind of love laughing while sitting on 76 in bumper-to-bumper traffic, while the other drivers look so miserable. I want to roll my windows down and shout, hey you should listen to this; it’ll make the drive better. So, I really enjoyed her conversation this week with writer Anne Lamott (the first time she’s had a writer on the show, not just an actor who’s written a book!). I think for a lot of us in the journalism space, Bird by Bird was a must-read. And for new parents, Operating Instructions should be required reading.

I loved Anne on the reason why good friendships work: “…you know that the whole system of our lives works because we are not all nuts on the same day.”

Happy Friday, y’all. Here are 5 things I was looking at this week:

In June, I texted my friend Sol, saying: “I just watched the Track Star episode with Glen Hansard, the Frames lead singer… then I went down a rabbit hole. Found an epic b&w doc concert filmed a few years back in Ireland. Might be my new favorite band.” Yesterday, I learned Hansard died. I’m new to his music and wish I’d discovered him years ago, but still I’m thankful for all he left behind.

This week I finished books 21 and 22 of the year - Heart the Lover and Sapiens, respectively. I’d recommend both for different reasons. Heart the Lover is complicated, tender, and gutting. Sapiens should be required reading for high school students everywhere; I feel a little smarter now. Harari connected some of the dots for me. Speaking of books, President Obama has great taste, and I always love his taste in books. His 2026 Summer Reading List just dropped.

The photographer who inspired the Severance aesthetic. Before clicking… Any guesses? :) Here’s a little bit more detail, from the cinematographer of the show.

I was Googling how to watch Copa 71, the documentary on the ‘forgotten World Cup.’ And man… I always forget how great Kanopy is, and the docs on it. If you don’t know about it, you should. And the best part is, it’s free with a library card.

Still going through a little World Cup withdrawal here. Also, I typically love anything Sam Anderson writes. This is no exception. So… win-win. Enjoy.