Friday Inspiration 470 I have been slowly listening to Oliver Burkeman’s new book,Meditations for Mortals, and a couple of the sections of this short video draw on chapters of the book. I don’t quite know how to describe his work—it’s not quite “anti-productivity,” but he sure makes me feel better about not getting everything on my to-do list done. If you don’t have eight minutes to watch the full thing, I’d recommend watching the short section on “Productivity Debt” starting at about 3:30....
11 days ago • 2 min read
"I do." We had not died on the drive there, which felt like a small victory. When we woke up, it was raining in town, freezing a quarter-inch thick on every flat surface, including the street in front of our house, which I’d tentatively tried to walk on and pronounced it a skating rink. People on our local subreddit said it was treacherous out there, stay home. We discussed our options, wasting time and building an anxious feeling that maybe we wouldn’t get to ski at all that day, which would...
12 days ago • 2 min read
Friday Inspiration 469 The first month of my freshman year in college, I borrowed Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers from Adam Davis, a new friend from Wapello, Iowa, who lived down the hall from me. It went into a 3-disc CD changer in my dorm room and I believe it stayed in that position until I finally gave it back to Adam at the end of the semester, when I finally bought my own copy. The most reggae I had heard, up until that point, was whatever samples and homages were on...
18 days ago • 4 min read
Friday Inspiration 468 I’m not a road cyclist, and haven’t gone on a proper group ride for years, but damn if this video didn’t make me happy, and also make me subscribe to this guy’s YouTube channel immediately. (video) I love Anne Kadet’s Substack because of her combination of curiosity and her willingness to investigate that curiosity, in New York—for example, her latest post in which she asked people on the subway what they were looking at on their phones(kind of surprising results too)....
25 days ago • 2 min read
Don't Quit Playing Your Music A few weeks ago, Jesse, the band director at one of our local high schools, asked if I might like to come in and speak to his class about creativity and persistence. I dug up my old junior high marching band photo, drew a bunch of charts, trying to get at something that would be relevant to their lives even if they quit band (like I did, at the end of eighth grade—see below). This is a slightly more detailed version of the talk I gave to the class: I’m a...
26 days ago • 11 min read
Friday Inspiration 467 When The Secret Life of Walter Mitty came out in 2013, I loved it, and I remember for some reason looking up the New York Times review of the movie, which was not so positive, and I thought, “I am not going to let that affect my enjoyment of the movie as I rewatch it for the next decade-plus.” So when I saw the title of this short YouTube film, “when film critics clearly just do not get the movie,” and the thumbnail was a shot from Walter Mitty, I had to watch it, with...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Friday Inspiration 466 Honestly, it’s very hard for me to not share an episode of Hot Ones in this space whenever I find one I like (which is quite often). But I’m sharing this, which is not a full episode, but a 5-minute compilation of 2024 guests’ reactions to Da Bomb, the most vile of all the hot sauces ever used on the show. I actually laughed out loud when Sean asked Lupita Nyong'o the question about … you know, I won’t spoil it for anyone. (video) I have been very interested in the idea...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Here's A Nice Thing: Weekday Biophilia It seems like it always happens at the worst spot, but luckily, not this time: I was running, outside, and I needed a place to hide for about 90 seconds. The situation wasn’t desperate, but it was going to be desperate soon. I was on a multi-use path that paralleled a two-lane highway, not that busy, but busy enough. Luckily, I found a small bridge over a drainage, providing just enough cover for me to do my thing, and be thankful this hadn’t happened in...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Friday Inspiration 465 I just love Global Cycling Network videos—they do some serious stuff, sure, but mostly they seem to be sitting around throwing out ridiculous ideas to each other, and then filming them. (video) A quick note from me: I'm excited to share that Precision Fuel and Hydration is sponsoring this newsletter starting this week. It's a genuinely authentic partnership since I've been using PFH chews, gels, and electrolyte mix since May 2024, and I've been drawing illustrations for...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
