Mappy July!
Survive a Long Road Trip / AI- Non-PC Jokes / Recast / No-Snap Challenge / Yellowstone vs Yosemite / Sex Talk / Fake Cash Investing / A Man Called Ove / Access Your Right Brain / Roll a Perfect Joint
Well, hello!
You’re reading Mappy Monday Monthly, a free newsletter about budget travel, quirky self-help experiments, thrifty money hacks, movie and book gems, and occasional silliness. You’ll also learn what’s new on my MappyEverAfter website.
New on MappyEverAfter: How Not to Kill Your Partner on a Long Road Trip
AI Shenanigans: Perplexity Makes non-PC Jokes and Recast AI Turns Long Text into a short Podcast
Experiment: The No-Snap Challenge
Travel: How to Choose - Yellowstone vs Yosemite
Health: Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby
Money: Learn Investing with Fake Cash
Read: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Mind Hack: Martha Beck - a sensory exercise to Access Your Right Brain
Just because: How to Roll a Perfect Joint
Note: I will always tell you if I'm getting any referral bonuses and how much they are. There's one in this letter - an Amazon link to Fredrik Backman's book. But no pressure to buy the book—if you use my link to do any Amazon purchases, I’ll still get a little something (so far, I've earned a whopping $1.78! Woo-hoo!). Of course, your library probably has the book for free.
New on my MappyEverAfter website - 10,000 Miles and Still Married: Our Ultimate Road Trip Survival Guide
Cram two opinionated people on a tight budget into a small car for a two-month road trip. What could possibly go wrong? Read about it here.
AI Shenanigans - Perplexity Makes Non-PC Jokes and Recast Turns Long Text into a Podcast
First, my current favorite AI chat pal, Perplexity. It’s smart, funny, and just the right amount of irreverent, my favorite qualities in any companion, conscious or not.
Me:
Why are there so many Jesus billboards in the Southern states? Give me a funny answer.
Perplexity:
Maybe they're running an advertising campaign. 'Jesus is coming!' Yeah, and apparently he's big on outdoor advertising. 'Repent or else!' Or else what? You'll put up another billboard? 'Jesus loves you.' Well, if he loves me so much, why doesn't he call? Maybe he's too busy posing for billboards. What's next? Jesus TikTok? #CrossPostingAnd now on to Recast, a little AI tool I’m experimenting with:
Ever wished a long, tedious article could magically turn into a mini-podcast? Well, say hello to Recast! (Yes, I recognize the irony of recommending this tool in my notoriously wordy newsletter. No, I’m not changing my ways.)
I’m using the free Recast Chrome extension, which lets me convert up to five articles a week. I open an article, click the extension, and it emails me the audio version. It’s not perfect—often missing the humor and personal touches—but sometimes, that’s exactly what you need.
Check out how it transformed my blog post about our recent trip to Yucatán, Mexico. You can read the original here.
Experiment - The No-Snap Challenge
Mark and I are great at bickering. We can go for ages about absolutely nothing. It's our superpower, really. So we finally decided to get to the root of things and find out how and why all these squabbles begin.
When we started paying attention, we realized that our very first reaction is often irritation. Mark asks, "Can you hand me an apple?" Sounds innocent, right? But in my head, I'm fuming: "Can't he see I'm writing? Now I lost my train of thought!" And just like that, we're off to the races.
So, we came up with a 30-day experiment. The rules are simple: No irritation as a first reaction. Ever. Instead, we have to start calm and/or curious. Sounds easy, right?
Well, it turns out, breaking the habit of snapping is really hard! It's a work in progress, but we're slowly evolving from prickly porcupines into … tiny hedgehogs, maybe? Hey, baby steps!
As for the apple, I now just say: "Sorry, babe, I'm writing. Can you get it yourself and get me one too while you're at it?"
Travel - Yellowstone vs Yosemite
Geysers or granite? Bison or butterflies?
We just came back from camping at both Yellowstone and Yosemite. While the experiences are still fresh in my mind, let’s compare the scenery, hikes, and wildlife encounters in these two iconic national parks. Read here or click on the picture.
Health - Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby 🎵
Why do so many people live in sexless relationships? Is porn damaging? How bad are kids for your sex life? What do you do if your partner doesn’t want to try new things?
You’ve got questions, British sex and relationship expert, Tracey Cox, has the answers, in this 101-minute interview by Steven Bartlett.
Money - Learn Investing with Fake Cash
Do you hear people talk about investing but have no idea where to start and find the whole idea intimidating?
You can play with a practice account loaded with imaginary money, risk-free. This is called Paper trading, Simulated trading, or a Demo account. I started the same way.
There are many of these platforms out there. They will not ask for your bank details or money transfer. You can try moomoo, a real-life stockbroker (where people invest their money in real stocks) that also offers Paper trading to learn and practice with.
You can learn investing basics on the web - Investopedia, Nerd Wallet, read books or watch videos.
Read - A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
We just finished A Man Called Ove. What a rollercoaster of emotions! One moment you're chuckling in public places, the next you're moved to tears, and shortly after that, you find yourself pausing the audiobook because Ove's crankiness is just too much to handle.
Ove's solitary life is turned upside down when his new neighbors—a lively young family—inadvertently disrupt his solitary routine. His character comes to life in such a vivid way that you can't help but become invested in his story.
Mind Hack - Martha Beck’s Sensory Exercise to Access Your Right Brain
This is how you access the part of you that's capable of feeling the things you yearn for. That's how you jump the tracks from the way we're taught to think to the more sensory, experiential way of thinking that's more real.
Think of 3 things you like to taste. Can you remember the sensations of tasting those things?
Think of 3 things you like to hear. Try to hold all of these sensations in your brain. It forces you to use the right hemisphere.
Think of 3 things you like to feel with or on your skin.
Think of 3 things you like to smell, not related to food.
Think of 3 things you like to see.
Now imagine as many of these things surrounding you as you can. Feel them. Smell them.
What you feel now is a slight, faint track to follow on your way to a more joyous life.
-Martha Beck
Just Because - How Roll a Perfect Joint
Professional joint roller Tony Greenhand to the rescue!
So there you have it, that’s July for you. My big adventure today is just staying awake till bedtime!
Be Mappy,
Mags
