Weekend Wrap 4/5/2026

Each weekend, I like to pause, reflect, and look back on the past week. This isn't a deep dive or grand reflection—just a quick review of a handful of things that brought me joy, made me think, or challenged me.

Music

This week was another big one, with six releases all landing that I have been either digging into, or will be as I have the time. There are definitely albums that dropped this past week that I will be revisiting.

But there was one that instantly stood out.

Nervosa has been around since 2010, but a number of lineup changes (Crypta basically formed as members of Nervosa wanted to do something different) have plagued the band. The last few years, they've locked in, and Slave Machine is their latest platter of vicious, death metal-tinged thrash.

And it is a killer album. There is a razor-sharp edge to the music on Slave Machine. Nervosa isn't messing around, and if this is any indication, I am really excited to see where they go.

Books

I've mentioned before that I try to have one fiction book and one nonfiction book that I am reading at a time. Beyond Belief is the current nonfiction book.

I haven't finished it, but I have already found a lot of thought-provoking content. Author Nir Eyal makes the argument that our beliefs both empower and limit us, and this allows us to shape our lives based on shaping our beliefs.

It isn't goofy either. There are clear examples, and the information feels actionable. I look forward to finishing it and, hopefully, applying it to my life.

TV

This week, we made it through season two of Netflix's A Man on the Inside. Season two was just as delightful as the first. Ted Danson is a joy to watch, and the show knows what it is doing.

Yes, there is another mystery to investigate. Yes, Ted's character, Charles, has even bigger aspirations for his work as a private investigator.

But all of that in ancilary to why one should watch A Man on the Inside. This is a heartfelt show about people who care about each other, are a little messy, and are trying to navigate the world. It is funny, it is full of joy, and it is one of those shows that you just feel a little bit better after watching.

I cannot recommend both seasons strongly enough.

Refinement

April kicked off a new quarter. As March was coming to an end, and I was considering what I should work on for this month, I had a moment of insight into my theme for the year, "The Year of Gentle Refinement".

What needs refining are the three things I worked on so far this year. None of them is dialed in to the point I would consider them habits yet. So April is about continuing to refine those habits, making them a more consistent and locked-in part of my day.

The most important part is this: This feels true to the spirit of my yearly theme.

Quote of the week

No one will vilify you more than someone who realizes you have pegged them for who they really are, not who they pretend to be.

I think I will be writing more about this in the coming week. But lately I have had the opportunity to be, well, a villain.

The reason is simple: I insisted that my clinic people be treated appropriately. I demanded that changes be made so that they were being heard and so that we could ensure that our patients would be made a priority.

If that makes me a villain, then so be it. Knowing how this all ended up going down, would I do it again?

Absolutely.

Area of improvement

I continue to work on my habits and refinements of the last three months. My focus this week is, again, on movement. I need to remember to: sleep, eat nutritious food, and move intentionally.

While all of those are areas of improvement, this week it is all about the movement. I want to focus more on what I am doing when I exercise. I want to fully engage with the workouts, to improve my connection with them.

Wrapping up

Things have been tough lately, but I think that we are through the worst of it. I feel like a corner has been turned.

I hope that is the case. I could use a break.