Weekly Ponderings #2: life coaching, library app, and the perfect weekend away

Podcasts

Latest podcast discovery I'm currently into: Over and On With It with life coach Christine Hassler. Every week she does one live coaching call, which is basically a mini therapy session that cuts through the bullshit and gets to the bottom of everything. Not all the episodes resonate with me, but a lot of them do and have helped me sort out some of my own issues.

Apps

I love reading. Unfortunately, I didn't when I was a kid, so my dad used to bribe me to read to improve my vocabulary in preparation for all of life's standardized tests. It was too late by then so I was stuck memorizing vocabulary books instead. Pretty sure they didn't boost my scores at all.

I got my first kindle from my last company (one of the OG Paperwhites with 3G included) and have been reading 40+ ebooks a year since. Mostly chicklit / young adult fiction, so don't be too impressed.

A friend of mine told me to sign up for a Boston Public Library card last year and I can't believe I went that long without one. It's amazing because 1/ you can sign up online for an eCard in minutes and you don't have to provide all that identification and proof of residence piece of mail garbage, and 2/ you can use this Libby app to download ebooks to read on your kindle for FREE.

If you don't have a library card, you are seriously missing out. Sign up for a BPL one now and download Libby. 

Travel

I went on a girls trip this weekend to North Adams, MA. While I wouldn't tell you to go out of your way to visit this area unless you're dying to go to Mass MoCA, if you find yourself out there, I recommend checking out:

• Mass MoCA - this museum is the main attraction out there. It took us 2 hours to cruise through every exhibit.
• Mezze in Williamstown, MA - order the Berry Patch Cucumbers, Kale Caesar, and Beets and Berries to share.
• Tourists - a super minimal, hipster 48-room boutique hotel. Very cool place. We had a cocktail in their outside area and it was a perfect way to spend the late afternoon. Next door is their small lounge called The Airport Rooms with the cutest nooks for date night.

While people we talked to there were shocked we drove from Boston to visit North Adams (out of all the places to vacation), it was an absolutely perfect weekend with girlfriends filled with sunshine, delicious meals, contemporary art, funny stories, and detours.

It was a great reminder that it's not always about where you're going, but who you're with and the journey throughout.