Summer Heat, Time to Retreat

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Issue 45 | July 30, 2021 | Summer Heat, Time to Retreat

It’s the last week of July in Washington D.C., and we all know what that means: rogue mosquitos will bite you in your own kitchen while you drink your morning coffee, and it will be too hot in the afternoon to even consider turning the oven on for dinner.

This summer, I have been on a personal mission to – how shall I put this? – cope better with the D.C. summer heat. Seven years into our mid-Atlantic life, I finally planned ahead. I saw it coming. I knew these weeks would arrive and drag us to the depths of despair, and in those depths, I knew I would not, not, NOT want to make a hot dinner.

My mission: to avoid turning on the oven from June through August.

My strategy: make other people do the hard work, i.e., think of the menu. So, I ask casually of friends and family, as though it just popped into my head – what do you make for dinner when it’s too hot to turn the oven on?

Oooooh, I have been gifted some fun ideas. I never would have made this kind of cold leek-and-potato soup before but it’s now a certified family favorite. Avocado toast, bruschetta and any other form of hearty tartine – yes, please. I was medium on the white fish ceviche but the shrimp ceviche was 10 out of 10, as was this simple summer tomato sandwich. Other peoples’ brainpower has really injected some fresh thinking into our weekly menus.

Retreat and Explore to Refresh Your Content

In this season of summer doldrums, jumpstart your work creativity by taking a break from your own brain and making other people do the work!

Hit pause for a moment on the financial world so you can take a trip to other lands. There’s so much fun and authentic material out there, and a ‘tour de content’ could inject fresh thinking into your own editorial plan for the rest of 2021.

Here are a few ideas from recent mostly-not-financial content that I have found impressive:

Newsletters That Really Deliver:

• Nature. The prestigious journal Nature has the best daily newsletter (‘Nature Briefing’). I signed up to get the breaking COVID science headlines but stayed for the fossil stories, hunter-gatherer insights and Neanderthal art. In addition to writing excellent headlines, I give their editors kudos for making good use of visuals in a way that’s accessible us laypeople.
• Huckberry. A valued reader recently introduced me to the excellent newsletter stylings of upscale men’s adventure wear company Huckberry. Between the hiking boots and perfect t-shirts, they sprinkle in lots of legitimately interesting lifestyle articles from their online magazine The Journal. If you’re Christmas shopping for me, I’ll take any of the suggestions in this camping book roundup, thanks!

Reports You Probably Missed But Should Peruse:

• Netscout. Technology content is a lot like financial content in that it’s data heavy, kind of technical, and always in danger of alienating casual readers. I was impressed with this Netscout 2H 2020 threat report about ransomware attacks. It’s a bit overly design-y but still easy to follow.
• Putnam Investments. Okay, this is financial, but it’s a broader topic than your typical market commentary – this Impact Report has some really lovely visuals. It’s so useful to have an idea bank of interesting data visualizations to spruce up the everyday pieces.

Click-Worthy Roundups:

• Olympic-inspired data visuals. Speaking of data visualizations, check this out – back in the 2018 Olympics, nerd-blog FiveThirtyEight rounded up its Games-related graphs and charts.
• Fancy reading lists. Looking for summer reads? Here’s what Bill Gates is reading, Jenna Bush Hager’s list, Reese Witherspoon’s list, and what Oprah’s into lately. Since this list is a bit heavy on estrogen, I’ll round it out with another that looks awfully fun – the Tough Guy Book Club.
• Unfancy recipes. This is my favorite recipe site in general, and I love her roundups – like this one for meal-prep recipes that don’t require reheating.
• S’mores. You guys – it is still summer. Let’s try all of these.

Please Send Ideas!

What are you reading this summer for inspiration? And more importantly, what are you eating??

Looking for an experienced freelance financial writer to help with engaging content? Reach out and let’s talk about your project needs.