Five, I mean, Six Things

Issue 118

Dearest Friends, I hope you’re swell. I’m not, but I’m not terrible, so I’ll take it.

The results from last week’s poll are in… 63% of you have a New Year intention. The rest of you are intentionless. Intentions such mentions. Who needs ‘em, anyway?

Issue 118 is late. I admit it. It’s the first time in over two years—except when I swore I hit publish but didn’t, a few weeks ago.

I finally heeded Stephen's advice: “It’s okay to send it a day later sometimes. Most people won’t notice or care.” The old me said, "No, no, it's not okay. It's a slippery slope, and I'm not going down it." The new me—the 2024 me—says, "Cool, I'll do that." And here we are.

Did you notice my tardiness?

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Five Six Things

Let’s get into this week’s five things (which are actually six, and sometimes may be seven, eight, or nine).

1. Hard-boiled eggs: Make them just right. Place them in a pot with cold water about 1” above the eggs. Turn on the flame. Set a timer for 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, the eggs are done. Now you have just-right hard-boiled babies.

2. Cold Turkey and Freedom will block apps and websites while you work. If you can’t stop scrolling but you gotta start working, put your computer in prison. It works for many people, just not my 15-year-old son. He got around Cold Turkey in a heartbeat. In any event, I wrote Cold Turkey asking for a refund on our defunct product experience. Within an hour, I had a kind response and a refund. Excellent customer service. Because you have a tad more self-restraint than a teenager, you may find these programs helpful.

3. Better call Hugo. He's the remote tech friend you didn't know you needed until you really did. Hugo can help with in-person and remote support, training, and consulting for Apple® devices. He's stellar with all folks, though he's especially gifted at helping the older generation feel young again. Patience, he has lots of patience. Book an intro call (what do you have to lose?) and keep him in your back pocket for when non-nature calls.

4. Last week, I shared how to name your Chrome windows, and a reader responded with his favorite internet browser—and it’s not Chrome. Martin recommends arc.net. I did some perusing, and it’s quite attractive and intuitive. I didn’t, however, make the leap because it takes commitment I don’t have any right now. Perhaps one of you is eager and savvy enough to dive in—and if you’re not sure what any of this means—better call Hugo.

5. I don’t have many pieces from Alex Mill, but I like the ones I have—simple, stylish staples—from a company founded by Mickey Drexler’s son (Mickey was the former CEO of J.Crew and founded Old Navy and Madewell). You know, I’m cautious about promoting more stuff, but it’s going to happen sometimes. And it just did!

6. I’m reading/listening to The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money, and you can too. Spoiler alert: Talk with your kids about money. You don’t need to talk about money obsessively or share every detail, but you want to share much more than you think. Get this: When we talk about stuff—sex, drugs, and rock and roll—we don’t promote it; we breed healthy habits and minimize shame. This goes for EVERYTHING!

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My Apologies

In the apology section, I apologize for the poor advice I offer, which is inevitable.

In Issue 116, I recommended a movie called May December. In Issue 117, I apologized for recommending May December—it’s weird. Attempting to rectify the poor recommendation, I led you even further astray.

I shared a movie recommendation from Reader Johanna, but I shared the wrong movie. She recommends PAST LIVES, not Private Lives. How will you ever trust me? Once again, the movie recommendation is Past Lives—not Private Lives.

I’m exhausted!

Emma shopping the organic aisle.

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Thank you for being here and for reading The (late) Letter. I see you. I appreciate you, and I like you. Until next week… Simone