Between Meetings & Meals 007
An educated guess, a simple upgrade, and a push to try something new
This one started with a nerdy bottle of wine and ended with me realizing I waited too long to try something new.
The Pour
This week’s bottle caught my attention for a pretty simple reason—it looked nerdy.
Educated Guess Cabernet Sauvignon (2023). Cool name, cool label, and it was highly rated at H-E-B, which was enough for me to throw it in the cart.
I chilled it, opened it later that night, and it just worked. It was smooth, easy to drink, and one of those bottles where every sip feels consistent and enjoyable without having to think too much about it.
What made it better was the timing. I had it open while I was sitting at my computer messing around with some new AI tools, learning, testing things, and going down a few rabbit holes. The whole moment just lined up—the label, the name, the vibe of what I was doing.
It ended up being one of those bottles that fits the moment more than anything else. If you’re wired like that, I’d definitely recommend it.
The Table
The table this week had something new that I think is going to stick around.
Chimichurri—but not the traditional version. I’ve kind of landed on my own.
I lean heavy into cilantro, usually somewhere between a 1:1 and 1.5:1 ratio with parsley depending on how I’m feeling. Then it’s garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, and I go pretty aggressive on lime because I like that brightness.
It’s simple, but it completely changes the meal.
This week we made shish kebabs, and the kids had a lot of fun building their own—stacking pieces of sirloin with bell peppers, zucchini, onions, mushrooms, whatever they wanted.
We had the chimichurri on the side, and it ended up being the thing that tied everything together. It added just enough flavor to make it feel like something more than a normal dinner without making it complicated.
It takes about ten minutes to make, and once you have it in the fridge, you start reaching for it more than you expect.
I wrote the full recipe out here if you want to try it:
👉 https://open.substack.com/pub/danielonpurpose/p/mexican-chimichurri-daniels-version?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
The Edge
Stop Chatting. Start Building.
This weekend I finally made a move I probably should have made earlier.
I jumped into Claude.
For a while, I was comfortable where I was. ChatGPT worked, I knew how to use it, and it fit into my workflow. There wasn’t really a reason to change.
But after spending some time with Claude Code and Co-Work, something clicked.
There’s a real difference between using AI to chat and using it to build. Once you feel that shift, it changes how you approach everything.
I’m not just asking questions anymore. I’m building things, testing ideas, and creating workflows that actually do something.
The part that stuck with me is how long I waited to make the switch.
I wrote a little more about that here:
👉 https://open.substack.com/pub/danielonpurpose/p/the-cost-of-waiting-on-ai?r=59ua7m&utm_medium=ios
The Lesson
It’s easy to get comfortable.
Things are working. You’ve got your systems. Your routines. Your go-to tools.
So you stay there.
But the stuff that actually moves things forward usually sits just outside of that.
A new tool.
A different approach.
Something you’ve been meaning to try.
It’s cliché, but it’s real.
The magic is usually on the other side of comfort.
This week was a good reminder of that for me.
Don’t wait as long as I did.
🤔 Sometimes the upgrade isn’t a big move.
It’s just finally trying the thing you’ve been putting off.