The Weekly Write-Up #24
Welcome to The Weekly Write-Up #24! Next week will be #25, and I have been working on something pretty big that will be announced in that newsletter (because it is 1/4 of the way to 100 newsletters), so be sure to check back next week to find out what it is!
In this newsletter…
I’m reading 4 books right now; here is what they are…
3 movies coming to theaters soon that I cannot wait to watch!
A fantastic FREE habit-tracking app!
Are these the best cookies ever?
Something I Read
WHAT BOOKS AM I CURRENTLY READING?
Recently, I talked about how I like keeping a book catalog and how you can do one too! Well, looking at my catalog, I didn’t finish any books this week, but that may be because I’m reading 4 books right now, and it is hard to finish 1 when you are reading that many! No, this isn’t the most books I’ve read at one time, but 4 at once is a pretty good number. 2 of the books I’m reading are fiction, and the other 2 are nonfiction, but interestingly all of them deal with religion (or sometimes the lack of religion, rather) in one way or another.
Millie Maven and the Bronze Medallion: A while back, I talked about Millie Maven in my first Books To Read. I just started reading this series a few days ago after finishing another Redwall book. So far, I enjoy the Millie Maven series! I’m almost finished with the first book (Millie Maven and the Bronze Medallion), and I’m excited to give my review once I’m done with the trilogy. So far, I think that it is very enjoyable, although it is slightly below my age level (though that is not the author’s fault).
The Chosen: After finishing The Great Gatsby, the next book for my Literature class is The Chosen, written by Chaim Potok. The Chosen is about a Jewish boy who is trying to navigate life and recover after a terrible injury during a baseball game. This injury changes his life. I’m only 3 chapters into the book, but so far, I’m really enjoying The Chosen. Chaim Potok does an impressive job in his writing and makes you feel the pain, anger, joy, and fear of the narrator. So far, it is a really great book, and one that I can’t wait to review once I finish it!
What if Jesus was Serious?: My family is trying to get into the habit of doing a devotional together a few times a week. Our current “devotional book” we are going through is What if Jesus was Serious? by Skye Jethani. The premise of the book is that Christians don’t take Jesus seriously enough to actually obey his commands. Throughout the course of the book, Skye goes through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and points out ways in which Christians don’t take Jesus seriously. If Christians don’t even take Jesus seriously, how are they supposed to expect non-believers to take Jesus seriously? It is a very fascinating and convicting book that I’ve enjoyed going through!
The Universe Next Door: I started this book about a month or two ago for my worldview class. This book goes through different worldviews and explains what they believe and how they answer the hard questions of life. This book is really fascinating and eye-opening! While it is written from a Christian worldview, I think the author does a pretty good job remaining mostly unbiased as he lays out what people of other worldviews actually believe. It is an eye-opening book and a great read for Christians and non-Christians alike.
Something I Watched
MOVIES TO WATCH
Over the coming months, there are three movies coming to theaters that I’m excited to watch and review!
The Super Mario Bros. Movie: I don’t know about you, but I grew up playing Super Mario Bros. quite often during my childhood, and I love that game! While the idea of making a game into a movie is just…okay, I would still like to see this movie because hopefully it will be a really great movie! Also, it has Chris Pratt (as Mario) and Jack Black (as Bowser) who are both fantastic actors who should do really well in their roles. This movie will come out in theaters on April 7, 2023, so make sure to go see it! Click here to see the official trailer!
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: I promise, I’m not obsessed with Chris Pratt, but here is another movie with Chris Pratt playing the lead role (Star-lord)! As most of you know by now, I’m a huge Marvel fan (be sure to check out my Antman and the Wasp: Quantumania review)! I have watched almost every Marvel movie, including the first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies. While the second one was pretty terrible, I’m trying to be optimistic about Vol 3. of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie series. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 begins playing in theaters on May 5, 2023. You can find the official trailer here.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: It has been a while since we’ve seen Harrison Ford portraying Indiana Jones, but now he is back in the final movie of the Indiana Jones franchise. I actually have a confession to make: I haven’t seen any of the previous Indiana Jones movies, but I intend to watch them before going to see this final one. So, I guess this is really to say all the Indiana Jones movies are on my To-Watch list! I’m really excited to see this action-adventure movie that is showing in theaters starting June 30, 2023. While this is still a few months away, meanwhile, you can watch the trailer.
Tech Thoughts
HABIT TRACKER
For the past few years, I have been searching for a habit app that had everything I wanted and one where I could get by without having to pay for it. I have looked at apps like Productive, Awesome Habits, and Everyday Habit Tracker (I have linked them for you because they are really great and worth checking out). Even though these are all great apps, I gave up using them for various reasons. I think I have finally found a habit tracker app that works for almost everything I want and is “free!” Of course, nothing is completely free (there is an optional premium plan), but I think you can totally get by with this app without getting the premium plan. There are multiple things I look for when it comes to a habit tracking app…
Interface: This might be the most critical feature when it comes to any app! I want an app that has a good interface (it needs to look good and work well). It should be easy to use because nobody wants to spend a ton of time checking their habits off. With Habit Tracker, you just swipe over to check off the completed habit. It is also straightforward to create new habits, see statistics, view previous days, and skip habits. There are also no ads (even without premium) which is really nice!
Reminders/Widget: Reminders are crucial for a habit app, but for me, widgets are even more important! Widgets were actually one of the main things I was looking for when it comes to a habit tracking app because this will keep me the most accountable. Although most other habit tracking apps have widgets, some really aren’t that great, or you have to pay to use them. With this app, you have neither of those things. I like being able to see what habits I’ve completed and which ones I still need to finish. Habit Tracker has multiple options for widgets, and I use these all the time to see what I still need to do in the day.
Statistics: Statistics are great when it comes to a habit tracking app. While they aren’t the most essential feature, it is really motivating to be able to see how you have been doing on a specific habit. Habit Tracker has plenty of stats, as well as streaks to show you how many days in a row you have completed each habit!
Above, I said I don’t think you need the premium plan unless you want to track over 5 habits. The free version only allows you to have up to 5 habits, but considering that most habit apps only allow you to have 3 in the free version, this is pretty good! Of course, as with most habit tracking apps, the main reason to upgrade would be to track more than 5 habits. If you buy premium, you also unlock tags, cloud sync, more statistics, security locking, and the ability to skip habits. Habit Premium is only $3.49 per year or if you hate subscriptions like me, it is $5.99 to get it for life! This is actually an excellent deal. I wouldn’t buy premium for the other features, but if I ever found the need to track more than 5 habits, I would probably upgrade!
I use this app to make sure that I tidy up, journal, read my Bible, and take my vitamins. It has really kept me accountable over the past few weeks. It is a really great app that you should definitely consider downloading. You can download it on the App Store (sadly, there is no Android version; sorry Android users)! There is also an Apple Watch app as well. So stop breaking those New Years Resolutions that you made two months ago, and start creating good habits for life with Habit Tracker!
Wild Card
CRUMBL COOKIES
Mmm, crumbl cookies are so good! Crumbl cookies is a chain of cookie stores that feature many delicious flavors of cookies. What is unique and fun is that there are different flavors offered each week! New flavors for the coming week are announced on Sunday evening. This keeps it interesting because you can discover new flavors each week. Not to mention that crumbl cookies’ cookies are delicious and are some of the best cookies I have ever had!
What I like the most about crumbl cookies is how unique some of their cookies are. For example, last week I tried a Mint Chip Ice Cream Cookie as well as a Maple Bacon Cookie! Both were fantastic, even if they don’t sound great! There is also a mystery cookie once a month, which is cool. It is different at each location, so you can look at a map and go to the location with the mystery cookie you want to try. It is super fun to see each week what new flavors are being offered. Now, let’s talk price. I will say this: crumbl cookies’ cookies are not cheap. A single cookie is over $4, but the price gets cheaper if you purchase more ($14 for 4 or $22 for 6 cookies). So, these definitely aren’t cheap, but they are excellent and unique! And, not to mention that the cookies are huge! Are they still overpriced? Probably, but you are paying more for the deliciousness and the unique flavors. Yes, you could get 12 sugar cookies from Walmart for the price of 1 of these, but those don’t really compare. So, yes, they are still overpriced, but not as overpriced as it might seem!
Overall, I really like crumbl cookies and my family visits regularly (probably too often) to get new cookies for the week! You should absolutely try cookies from there at least once (maybe for a special day or something)! New flavors are announced in just a few hours, and I can’t wait to see what they are! Go to their website here or download the Crumbl app on the App Store or Google Play to order, check flavors, or to earn points towards free cookies! I hope that you get a chance to try these delicious cookies because if you haven’t, you are seriously missing out! (Don’t go today because they are closed on Sunday, but they open at 8am on Monday)!
Remember to check back next week (most likely Sunday afternoon) to see what I’ve been working on! See you then!