The Weekly Wrap: July 4, 2021

Once a month, I sit down and plan on what projects I want to tackle. The priorities get placed on the monthly page of my bullet journal. I then use that short list to decide what steps in these projects I want to add to my daily to do list. It's a system that works for me, but I couldn't make these lists without the good ol' brain dump.

I am a clear surfaces, tidy spaces sort of person. I dislike clutter whether it is physical, digital, or mental. When my mental clutter gets too great, I sit down, open Trello, and brain dump everything that is on my mind. No matter if the idea is big or small, it goes on a Trello board. That way, whatever is on my mind ends up in a central location where I can deal with it as necessary.

Long ago, I realized that that writing things down helped keep my stress level low. When I don't brain dump, I grind my teeth which leads to a tight jaw, tight shoulders, and, ultimately, lower back pain. (It's weird how mental stress shows up physically.) When I get a knot in my lower back, it's usually a good indicator that I need to brain dump to take stock of everything that is on my mind.

Do you brain dump? If so, what's your favorite way to track everything?

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• We overlook fresh fruit. [The Department of Salad]
• The immense hurdles one refugee is leaping to attend college. [The Chronicle of Higher Education]
• Recreating garum - ancient Rome's favorite condiment. [Atlas Obscura]
• Yes. The internet is tracking you. [@RobertGReeve]
• Add visiting Caverns Grotto to my travel list. [Atlas Obscura]
• Reader Submission: Books are art. [My Modern Met]

• Our healthcare system is so very broken. [Money Confidential]
• A woman you never heard of who created an artist you have - Vincent Van Gogh.  [The Daily]
• Names matter. [Code Switch]
• The compounding interest of Bobby Bonilla. [Planet Money]
• Sand. [Every Little Thing]
• How critical race theory became a partisan boogie man. [The Daily]

• I can't get enough of ballerinas working on their pointe shoes. [Insider]
• Ice cream cake... but not in the way you might think. [cake_look]
• We put our watch of Doctor Who on hold because it was "a week" and we didn't want to have to pay attention. Instead, we decided to watch a show we've seen before (and I consider to be my comfort drama) - Outlander. I've seen season one about four times, so we started our rewatch with season two. There are a lot of differences between the series and the books, but I think the changes were well done and still keep with the heart of the story and characters. [Netflix]

• For meatless Monday, I made a tomato mozzarella salad with balsamic vinaigrette. It was tasty (even if I did go overboard on the spinach). I recommend it as a side dish for any cookout you might be attending later today or tomorrow. [Budget Bytes]
• Our kiddo has been on strike when it comes to eating vegetables at home. (Because toddlers!) I found a recipe in my collection that might have gotten her to start eating them again. This sheet pan honey dijon chicken with roasted potatoes and carrots is super easy and delicious. [Tasty]